Libya’s Landmark Vote in Doubt as Election Committees Shuttered
Libya’s Landmark Vote in Doubt as Election Committees Shuttered
(Bloomberg) -- The head of Libya’s elections commission ordered the closure of committees that would help stage Friday’s presidential ballot, adding to mounting doubts that the landmark vote in the OPEC member will take place as scheduled.
Personnel who would run voting stations and count the ballots, among other tasks, were ordered to remain on standby. But shuttering the committees is the latest decision to cast doubt over the United Nations-backed election that’s seen as key to ending a decade of turmoil in Libya.
The commission has failed to release a final list of candidates, but among those who’ve registered to run are a son of Libya’s former autocratic leader Moammar Al Qaddafi, eastern military commander Khalifa Haftar, and Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, the prime minister of the unity government that’s organizing the vote.
Years of efforts, backed by several world powers, helped pave the way for a cease-fire and the Dbeibah administration. The election is supposed to cap the process, setting Libya on a more stable path.
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