The US ambassador and special envoy to Libya, Richard Norland, has told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that Libyan politics are complex, adding that some contradictory candidacies led to fears of renewed violence.
Norland said the current period in Libya is a test of the intention of Libyan leaders who say they are committed to holding elections, adding that the High National Elections Commission (HNEC) was technically ready to hold elections on December 24 but the process was derailed by "contradictory candidacies".
Norland said political parties avoided announcing the postponement of elections because they feared being held accountable by the Libyan people for it, saying this shows that Washington's decision to support holding elections on time wasn't naive or unfit to the security and political status quo.
He also explained that Libyans themselves chose the date of elections and the US supported their desire to commit to the scheduled date despite the presence of flaws in the election law, indicating that there's still a chance to build on the ceasefire agreement and the political dialogue, which are still in place until now, to bring back elections on the right track.
