Libya Crimes Watch (LCW) has been closely following with concern the serious escalation of systematic security interference undermining the electoral process in the country, including the cancellation of voting in municipal council elections, as well as attacks on the premises of the High National Elections Commission (HNEC), which have deprived voters of their right to political participation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Friday, 15 August, LCW documented the cancellation of voting in thirteen (13) municipalities in eastern and central Libya, based on oral orders issued by the Internal Security Agency (ISA) affiliated with the Libyan government, endorsed by the House of Representatives (HoR), directed to electoral district officials. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
These measures form part of a continuing, widespread campaign to obstruct the electoral process, coming about a month after security agencies affiliated with the same government prevented the distribution of voter cards in ten (10) electoral districts in eastern and southern Libya, resulting in the suspension of elections in all twenty-six (26) municipal councils under its control. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In western Libya, LCW also documented, on 15 August, an attack by unidentified perpetrators involving the setting of fires in HNEC storage facilities in the city of Zawiya, which destroyed electoral materials and led to the postponement of voting in Zawiya, Sabratha, Surman, and Bir al-Ghanem. The Government of National Unity (GNU) and the Office of the Libyan Attorney General have not disclosed the identity of those responsible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
HNEC announced today, 16 August, that voting commenced in only twenty-six (26) municipalities across Libya, out of a total of sixty-three (63) where voting was scheduled to take place, reflecting the failure of the electoral process in more than half of the electoral districts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
LCW affirms that the prevention of elections constitutes a violation of the right to political participation guaranteed under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). LCW holds the authorities in eastern Libya, including the Libyan government endorsed by HoR, and the GNU in western Libya, fully legally accountable for obstructing the electoral process and failing to protect it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
LCW also considers that HNEC\u2019s insistence on proceeding with elections in an unsafe and unstable environment, without taking adequate preventive measures, has placed voters, candidates, and its own facilities at risk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Accordingly, LCW calls on the authorities in both eastern and western Libya to immediately cease unlawful security interference in the electoral process and to ensure respect for voters\u2019 rights. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
LCW further urges the Libyan Attorney General to launch an immediate investigation into the attacks targeting HNEC premises and the security interference in the electoral process, to ensure accountability for those responsible, and to put an end to the prevailing impunity associated with such violations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
LCW also calls on the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), the European Union Delegation to Libya, and influential states to effectively monitor the electoral process and exert pressure on the Libyan authorities to ensure a safe and enabling environment for the conduct of free and fair elections. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In conclusion, LCW stresses that the persistence of security interference and attacks on HNEC undermines the right to political participation, obstructs the electoral process, and threatens the prospects of building a democratic path grounded in accountability and the rule of law in Libya. <\/p>\n\n\n\n