Why the Libyan elections were postponed: A quick guide | Khalifa Haftar News

The Libyans were due to go to the polls on Friday, and the challenges and clashes over rules and regulations have long been mixed into the presidential election.

After months of uncertainty, Libyaelection commission on Wednesday proposed delaying the polls by a month, as a parliamentary committee tasked with overseeing the process said it was impossible to conduct the vote as originally planned.

Below are some of the obstacles and long-term challenges that have prevented the long-awaited vote.

Why were the elections postponed?

In 2011, after the NATO-backed uprising, a divided political class was formed against a longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi he could not agree on the rules for overseeing the election.

They also did not agree on what powers a new president or parliament would have and who could be put to the vote.

Presidential candidate Aguila Saleh passed a law establishing the first round of presidential elections on December 24, followed by a second-round vote, if necessary, and a parliamentary referendum.

Putting the vote for the presidency first meant that the election would lead to a contest to remove all the winners among the hard-fought opposition candidates.

Other political organizations rejected the law, accusing Saleh of approving it without proper parliamentary process.

However, Saleh’s law was the basis of the election process, and conflicts over it escalated even further when a number of divisive candidates entered the competition.

Who are the main candidates?

About 98 candidates registered for the presidential race, including some who were considered unacceptable by many in the country, including powerful armed factions.

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of former leader Muammar Gaddafi, was indicted in 2015 by a court in the capital Tripoli for his war crimes against his father, although he was tried in absentia in 2015.

Khalifa Haftar, an eastern-based force, launched a devastating 14-month offensive last year in Tripoli, a renowned military authority, several armed factions in western Libya, and many people dismiss him as a potential president.

Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, the caretaker Prime Minister, promised not to run for office as a condition of his resignation. Other candidates say his presence in the polls is unfair. To run for office, Dbeibah had to resign from government at least three months before the election date, which he did not do.

Without a clear consensus on the rules, and even less on who would enforce or prosecute the lawsuit, the election committee, parliamentary election committee and fragmented judiciary could not agree on a final list of candidates.

What are some other challenges on the way to voting?

Most of Libya is controlled by the armed forces, which are in favor of the opposition candidates. Without open independent follow-up, it would probably be to report fraud or threatening voters.

Two incidents last month showed danger: Fighters closed a court to stop Gaddafi’s lawyers from appealing his disqualification, and the election commission said fighters searched several of his offices, stealing ballot papers.

A controversial outcome could quickly shed light on the peace process by repeating the aftermath of the 2014 elections, when war factions backed their opposing administrations.

Then what?

The election commission has proposed a one-month delay, but parliament may ask for more. Negotiations are ongoing between candidates, political institutions and foreign powers.

A short delay may not be enough to resolve the arguments that sidelined Friday’s vote. However, more time could be taken to resolve these issues, questioning whether the interim government has been in place until a new election.

The future of Dbeibah and the future of his government has quickly become one of the main topics of discussion between the opposition camps.

“We were hoping that the election would not take place on December 24, but now setting a new date will also be a contentious issue,” MP Adel Karmous told Al Jazeera. “Legally, the parliament has to agree on a new date with the General Council of State. The question now is how long will the delay be? And will they reach an agreement on a constitutional framework? ”

Another conflict on the horizon?

If the peace process falls apart, there is a risk that the eastern factions will once again form a breakaway government in a war with the Dbeibah administration in the capital Tripoli. However, analysts believe that this is difficult at the moment.

There is an immediate danger that a political crisis will add fuel to the local clashes between opponents of armed groups mobilized in western Libya in recent weeks, leading to the creation of a new struggle within the capital.