The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) reiterated Wednesday its call for the unification of the electoral authorities for municipal council elections in Libya.

UNSMIL stressed in a statement the importance of holding municipal elections, urging all stakeholders, institutions and actors involved in municipal elections including the House of Representatives (HoR), to support and facilitate the cooperation among the two electoral entities of Tripoli and Benghazi, as an essential step towards the unification of Libyan institutions.

UNSMIL also said it was concerned at ongoing parallel activities, including the ad hoc voter registration system used in three eastern municipalities, regarding which the UNSMIL was notified by local stakeholders from Wahat municipalities.

It also urged the two electoral management bodies to jointly address the issue of the voter register and the use of two different electoral systems as a matter of priority in the larger context of their institutional unification, saying the two electoral entities should engage in discussions on a technical cooperation to jointly conducting transparent and credible elections across Libya.

UNSMIL indicated that these steps are in line with the continuing political process to make progress through the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum towards securing the necessary conditions for the holding of national elections on 24 December 2021.