Voter registration for Libya’s presidential election to close
The Libyan High National Elections Commission will close registration for presidential election candidates today.
The forthcoming election is considered to be a significant milestone in the political processes presently underway which hope to stabilize and repair the volatility and widespread violence.
Political wrangling over the legitimacy and legal basis for the election threatens to derail broader Libyan peace processes, which include efforts to reconcile long-divided state institutions and remove foreign mercenaries who remain deployed despite the UN-brokered ceasefire.
Eastern military commander Khalifa Haftar has announced his candidacy in a move expected to anger many who accuse him of numerous war-crimes and attempting to establish a dictatorship. Former heir apparent of the deposed Libyan dictator Qadaffi, Seil al-Islam el-Qaddafi has also filed his candidacy after spending several years hiding from the public eye.
The December election itself is unlikely to stabilize Libya. The country faces economic turmoil, entrenched armed militias, fragmented politics, regional tensions, and continued foreign interference which has supported both sides in the civil war. Regardless of the crises, the elections are likely to go ahead as expected, though the ultimate consequences remain to be unseen until new state leadership is established, whomever it may be.
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