Ten years on from the fall of the Gaddafi regime, Libya remains in a state of transition. After initial promise, relatively successful elections in 2012, rising tensions led to disputed elections in 2014 and an outbreak of further violence. A governance split emerged, with rival governments emerging in East and West.
The formation of a supposed unity government in 2016 failed to reunify Libya’s institutions. The political process was sunk in 2019 when Khalifa Haftar’s forces mounted an offensive on Tripoli. The failure of his offensive, and subsequent negotiated ceasefire provided opportunity to relaunch the political process. That political process forged a new interim Libyan government – the first unified government since 2014 – and set an ambitious timeline for elections. Those elections are set for 24 December 2021 and are intended to finally end Libya’s transition. But with disputes over the legal and constitutional basis of the elections, the election timetable and amid a fragmented political and security scene, what prospects do the elections offer?
This event will be held on the record and will be livestreamed on the MENA Programme’s Facebook page.
Participants
Moderator: Tim Eaton, Senior Research Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Programme
Otman Gajiji, Former chairman of the Libyan High National Election Commission
Zahraa Langhi, Member of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum
Dr Wolfram Lacher, Senior Associate, German Institute for International and Security Affairs; Author, Libya’s Fragmentation: Structure and Process in Violent Conflict
