France is hosting today, Friday, an international conference aimed at ensuring Libya sticks to the plan of holding elections in December and turning a new page in its history.
Almost 30 leaders and organizations will attend the Paris conference, including U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Libya’s neighbors, as well as countries that have been split over the conflict.
Libya has been grappling with an intense political crisis since the overthrow of its leader Muammar Gaddafi in a 2011 uprising, with the oil-rich country split for years between rival factions, one based in the capital, Tripoli, and the other in the eastern part of the country.
The presidential vote on December 24, and legislative elections, are the core parts of a United Nations plan to help restore stability, but the calendar remains unclear as tensions resume between rival camps.
In early October, parliament deferred the legislative elections until January, though world powers and the UN want them held simultaneously.
Earlier this week, Libya opened registration for election candidates.
Potential candidates include Khalifa Haftar, the commander of renegade eastern-based forces in the civil war and Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of the former longtime leader, as well as former interior minister, Fathi Bashagha.
There are also fears over whether the various Libyan factions will recognize the results of the polls, which could end the armed conflict country in the country that has become a major departure point for migrants and refugees seeking to cross the Mediterranean for Europe.
A French presidential official told reporters at a briefing before the meeting that some actors were ready to seize on any ambiguities to advance their own interests. “They are obviously waiting to ambush and try to derail the electoral process,” the official said according to AP.
A final communique may warn potential spoilers that they could face sanctions, diplomats said, reported AP.
The conference is expected to push for transparent and credible elections. also urge the withdrawal of mercenaries and foreign forces from Libya, as stated in last year’s U.N.-brokered cease-fire that ended fighting between rival factions in the country.
Friday’s conference is co-chaired by France, Germany, Italy, Libya, and the United Nations, and attended by international and regional high-level officials.
Key players attending the meeting will include US Vice President Kamala Harris, who is on a visit to France aimed at improving ties, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, one of Paris’s closest allies in the Middle East.
Moroccan Minister of foreign affairs Nasser Bourita is representing the Kingdom in the international event.
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune rejected an invitation by the Elysee to attend the conference but said he would send a delegation.
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