Premature Elections Won’t Stabilise Libya

Recent fighting should put a brake on a French-backed plan to hold elections in Libya in December 2018. Superficially, elections might appear tempting as a means of breaking the political deadlock in the country, but security conditions do not allow for a free and fair contest, and Libya’s key players have not committed themselves to upholding the results. Elections risk deepening the country’s divisions and precipitating an increase in violence. Instead of searching for quick fixes through elections, Europeans should focus on stabilising the country over the long term. This will require European countries to work together, not against each other.

European Council on Foreign Relations: Commentary, 18.04.18: Libya after Haftar? http://www.europeansources.info/record/libya-after-haftar/

European Council on Foreign Relations: Commentary: Libya elections 2018: the missing ingredient http://www.europeansources.info/record/libya-elections-2018-the-missing-ingredient/

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