Next Libyan general election


The Next Libyan general election was planned to be held in Libya in early 2019, after having earlier been planned for 10 December 2018. The elections were intended to consist of presidential and parliamentary elections.
The four people who agreed to the original deal were: Fayez al-Sarraj, Khalifa Haftar, Aguila Saleh Issa, and Khalid al-Mishri. This was supported by the final report of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue for the preparatory phase of the Libyan National Conference, which stated that Libyans participating in the consultative process "expressed fatigue and frustration with the current political situation and called for an election or other major change to usher in a new system".
The elections, to be organised by the High National Elections Commission, were delayed by the start of a military operation by Haftar's Libyan National Army to take control of the capital Tripoli from the GNA, in April 2019. The Libyan National Conference was also supposed to have been held that month to organise the framework for carrying out the elections. Municipal elections started in March and April 2019 and were organised by the Central Commission of Municipal Council Elections in close cooperation with HNEC.

Background

In a surprise offensive on 3 March 2017, the Islamist-dominated Benghazi Defense Brigades seized a number of oil ports from the Libyan National Army-backed House of Representatives. On 7 March 2017, the ports were handed over to the Government of National Accord, prompting the House of Representatives to abandon the UN-brokered peace deal it had previously agreed to with that government, denouncing the BDB capture of the ports as "terrorist attacks". The House then called for Libya's electoral commission to make "all the necessary arrangements to prepare for presidential and parliamentary elections before February 2018".
In May 2018, talks occurred in Paris, France, where leaders of the Government of National Accord and representatives of Haftar's Libyan National Army agreed on establishing a legal framework by 16 September 2018 to hold elections in December. In July, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian visited Libya to speak with GNA Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj on making sure the elections went forward, and announcing that France donated US$1 million for the election. The Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte stated in early August 2018 that he doubted that elections would be held at the end of the year, despite France's push, and Italian ambassador to Libya Giuseppe Perrone echoed this view. The Italian embassy in Tripoli later denied that Perrone was trying to delay the election after his statements were criticized by the Libyan House of Representatives. Ghassan Salamé, the United Nations representative in Libya, stated that an election in December 2018 would be unlikely due to the ongoing fighting.
In November 2018, major Libyan political figures attended the two-day Palermo Conference in an attempt to resolve the Libyan Conflict, but without a breakthrough.
In January 2019, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi called for elections "as soon as possible."
One of the major aims of the Libyan National Conference, which was initially scheduled for 14–16 April 2019, but postponed because of the 2019–20 Western Libya campaign, was to recommend methods and dates of the 2019 elections to the Libyan House of Representatives and High Council of State.
According to resolution 8/2013 of the General National Congress, the body responsible for the practical aspects of organising the elections is the High National Elections Commission. HNEC is expected to follow the procedures outlined in resolution 17/2013 of the GNC., the HNEC Board consisted of Emad Alshadly al-Sayah, Rabab Mohammed Halab, Abdelhakim Alshaab Belkhair and Abubakr Ali Marda.
The 2019 Libyan local elections took place in 20 localities, prior to the parliamentary and presidential elections, in March and April 2019, with further planned elections in other towns during 2019. The local elections are coordinated by the Central Commission of Municipal Council Elections in close cooperation with HNEC.
In 2019, Libyan Speaker of the House Aguila Saleh announced that elections could be held in 2020.

Presidential candidates