The Libyan High National Elections Commission (HNEC) said on Sunday that the deadline to lift the force majeure on elections by handling the surrounding issue had ended without any progress. This announcement came in a letter responding to the House of Representatives (HoR) after the calls by some electoral candidates to resume the electoral process and to publish candidates' lists.

The HNEC explained that the political and security environment that existed after the electoral process had stopped did not help in dealing with the factors of force majeure, adding that the gap on agreement or consensus between the political parties was widened. It also said that the division that affected the executive authority and the resulting security tensions negatively impacted the security situation in most electoral districts leading to the inability to resume the electoral process within the period requested by the HNEC.

The HNEC added that the decision to stop the electoral process is a sovereign one issued by an independent sovereign body, and taken by its council after consulting with the House of Representatives and discussing its technical as well as legal background in accordance with the law of electing the head of state and determining his powers. It also indicated that the decision to resume elections will only be a sovereign one that expresses the will of Libyans and their aspiration for free and fair elections which lead to credible outcomes and contribute to the end of the country's crisis.

The HNEC also confirmed that it will work with the House of Representatives to remove the part of the force majeure that pertains to the legal requirements of an invisible technical nature that appeared during the implementation of the relevant laws, adding that it will send its final observations after coordination with the judicial authority regarding the mechanism for considering electoral appeals and disputes. In addition, the HNEC said there's a need to find a legal framework to deal with the judicial rulings in force that stopped the implementation of the electoral process.

The HNEC indicated that it had taken advanced steps to develop the technical aspects and systems of the electoral process, which will contribute effectively to avoiding many technical and time obstacles that appeared during the implementation of the relevant electoral laws.

It also said that it still maintains its full readiness to resume the electoral process if the political, consensual environment is available, and security conditions are established to engage directly with partners in completing the lifting of the remaining components of force majeure and resuming the implementation process.