The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has expressed “grave concern” over the escalating friction between the House of Representatives and the High Council of State. The mission warned that the struggle for control over the restructuring of the High National Elections Commission (HNEC) threatens to plunge one of the country’s last standing unified institutions into the abyss of institutional division. UNSMIL stressed that maintaining the commission’s neutrality is paramount to the integrity of any future polls and affirmed its readiness to mediate a consensus that safeguards the electoral process.
In a strongly worded statement, the mission urged both chambers to exercise national responsibility and halt all unilateral actions that could impede the commission’s operational capacity. It noted that the HNEC has remained a rare example of technical competence and unity throughout years of civil strife. UNSMIL cautioned that further escalation would only entrench institutional fragmentation, jeopardising the prospects for presidential and legislative elections based on a viable and legally sound framework.
