The Takeaway: Can Libya pull off elections in 2023?
Plus, the US condemns an Israeli minister's call to "wipe out" a Palestinian town, and concerns grow over Iran's nuclear activity.
WASHINGTON — As the world's attention remains fixed on the war in Ukraine, the United Nations is pushing for new elections in Libya, another country on Europe’s doorstep where Russia is seeking greater influence.
More than a decade after the uprising that toppled longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi, the North African country remains mired in political chaos with two rival camps, each backed by foreign powers, vying for control.
The UN’s Libya envoy, Abdoulaye Bathily, told the Security Council on Monday that he would be forming a high-level steering panel of “relevant Libyan stakeholders” that would produce a roadmap for presidential and legislative elections by the end of 2023. Bathily’s plan is the second international push for national Libyan elections in as many years.
Polls scheduled for December 2021 collapsed amid disagreements over the constitutional basis of the elections and who was eligible to run. Candidates included Gen. Khalifa Hifter, a former CIA asset-turned-warlord in Libya's east, and Seif al-Islam Gaddafi, the Russia-backed son of the ousted dictator.
