TRIPOLI – Libya’s election commission said on Saturday it would not publish a list of presidential candidates until after it settles some legal issues, leaving almost no time to hold the vote as planned on Dec. 24. Significant delays could increase the risk of derailing the wider peace process in Libya, though a disputed election conducted without clear agreement on rules or eligible candidates also poses immediate dangers to stability. Rival factions have accused each other of intimidating or bribing judicial and administrative officials to sway the final list of candidates. With armed groups controlling the ground across Libya, any election conducted without strong international monitoring would be open to accusations of fraud. Some factions have warned that a delay to the vote could prompt them to pull out of the wider political process.

Source: Libya Today December 12, 2021 20:50 UTC