The US ambassador to Libya, Richard Norland, said that Libyan politics is complex, and that the emergence of some controversial candidates late in the electoral process led to fears of an outbreak of violence; Which prompted a temporary pause, as he put it.
Norland, in statements to Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper on Saturday, added that the current period in Libya is a test of the goodwill of the Libyan leaders who say they are committed to the elections.
Norland indicated that the HNEC was technically ready to hold the elections on time, but its work was confused; Because of the “controversial candidates” .
The American ambassador considered the political figures evading responsibility for announcing the postponement of the elections for fear of being held accountable by the people. This proves that Washington’s decision to support holding the elections on time was not a naive decision or a misreading of the political and security reality.
The American diplomat stressed that he does not accept the opinion of those who said that they were naïve to believe that the elections could take place on December 24, as he put it, and this is confirmed by the fact that no political figure wants to bear the responsibility for announcing this postponement.
In a related context, Norland pointed out that the Libyans were the ones who chose the date of the elections, and the United States supported their desire to meet this date, despite the existence of flaws in the electoral law.
Norland explained that the discussion of sanctions mostly relates to the personalities who refused to accept the election results, or who practiced violence that threatens to obstruct the electoral process, stressing that there is an opportunity to build on the ceasefire and the broad political dialogue that is still in force today with the aim of returning the elections to the right track.
