The embassies of France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States of America in Libya called in a joint statement on Wednesday on all Libyan parties to commit to hold free, fair, inclusive and credible presidential and parliamentary elections on December 24, 2021 and urged all international actors to encourage and support the democratic transition.

The embassies said that the significant number of submissions for presidential elections is a further proof of the determination of the Libyan people to participate actively in the democratic process, noting the announcement by the High National Elections Commission (HNEC) about the conclusion of the procedure for the registration of candidacies in the upcoming presidential elections in Libya, and expressing their full support to the Libyan authorities responsible for the judicial review of candidacies and call upon all actors to respect their decisions.

The embassies also welcomed the efforts of the HNEC in implementing the technical basis for successful elections and look forward to the formalization by HNEC of the full electoral calendar. They reaffirmed their determination to support stability in Libya as a result of a Libyan-led and Libyan-owned political process facilitated by the United Nations.

Meanwhile, the HNEC closed registration process for presidential elections on November 22 after the submission of 98 candidacies. Final lists will be published after the appeals phase ends.