UN renews mandate in Libya and pushes for new election roadmap

 

The US Security Council unanimously voted to extend the UN political mission in Libya for another year, urging institutions and parties in the divided North African country to agree on a roadmap for presidential and agree on parliamentary elections. The resolution, passed by the United Nations’ most powerful body, calls for “dialogue, compromise and constructive engagement” with the goal of “forming a unified Libyan government capable of governing the entire country and representing Libya’s

residents.” In response, the country’s eastern-based parliament appointed a rival prime minister, Fathi Bashagha, who has been trying to install his government in Tripoli for months. The resolution reiterated the Security Council’s “strong commitment to an inclusive, Libyan-led and Libyan-owned political process, facilitated by the United Nations and supported by the international community,” leading to elections as soon as possible. Supports resumption of efforts to resume inter-Libyan talks to create conditions for elections.

Libya was thrown into chaos after a NATO-led insurgency that toppled and killed dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The oil-rich nation was divided between rival administrations in the east and west, each backed by foreign militias and governments.