BENGHAZI: Libya’s self-styled national army in the east welcomes holding presidential and parliamentary elections in the country as soon as possible, the spokesman said, urging the east-based Parliament to make haste with issuing elections laws.
Brig. Gen. Ahmed Al-Mosmari said in a press conference late Wednesday that elections, planned for 2018, should be monitored by international observers to ensure integrity. He also said the army will secure polling stations across the country.
“We should give the Libyan people the freedom to express themselves through ballot boxes,” Al-Mosmari said. He stressed that the army is supportive of an “elected civilian leadership.”
Libya plunged into chaos following a 2011 uprising that toppled and later killed longtime dictator Muammar Qaddafi. It is now split between rival governments in the east and the west, each backed by an array of militias.
Earlier in December, the UN said it was “intensively trying to establish the proper political, legislative and security conditions for elections to be held before the end of 2018.”
Libya’s military strongman and leader of the so-called Libyan National Army, Khalifa Haftar, had hinted in a televised speech on Dec. 17 that he might step up to fill the void but did not clearly state whether he would run for president if a vote is held next year. Later, thousands of his supporters rallied in several cities calling on him to take charge of the country.
Haftar is a rival of the government backed by the UN in the west.
Fayez Serraj, head of the Tripoli-based government, had announced on several occasions that procedures are underway to hold the country’s elections in 2018 but did not specify an exact date. It is also not clear whether Serraj would run the elections.
During Wednesday’s press conference, Al-Mosmari touched briefly on a recent attack on a pipeline pumping crude oil to port of Sidr. He said the attack was meant to plunge the country further into “economic chaos” and added that the attackers fled to the west.
Libyan Army welcomes elections ‘as soon as possible’
Libyan Army welcomes elections ‘as soon as possible’
Spain highlights importance of Gaza reconstruction
- Spain officially recognized Palestine as a state in May 2024, in a coordinated move alongside Ireland and Norway
RAMALLAH: The Palestinian prime minister, Mohammed Mustafa, and the Spanish foreign minister, Jose Manuel Albares, on Friday discussed the latest developments in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
During their telephone conversation they emphasized the need to intensify international efforts to end the Israeli occupation and halt attacks and settler violence, and to secure the release of Palestinian funds held by Israeli authorities.
They affirmed the importance of ongoing efforts relating to plans for the reconstruction of Gaza, and Europe’s significant role in this process. Mustafa and Albares highlighted the need to unify Palestinian institutions in Gaza with those in the West Bank, with the aim of establishing a Palestinian state in line with international resolutions, including last year’s New York Declaration.
They also discussed coordination between their countries, and the strengthening of Spain’s political, diplomatic and financial support for Palestine, and Mustafa thanked Spain for its ongoing support.
Spain officially recognized Palestine as a state in May 2024, in a coordinated move alongside Ireland and Norway. Estephan Salameh, the Palestinian finance and planning minister, is set to visit Spain this month to discuss enhanced cooperation, particularly in the areas of development and reconstruction. Meanwhile, Israel continues operating in the occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian Prisoners media office said on Friday that Israel carried out numerous raids across the territory, including the major cities of Ramallah and Hebron, according to The Associated Press.
Nearly 50 people were detained, following the arrest of at least 50 other Palestinians on Thursday, most of those in the Ramallah area.
As 2026 begins, the shaky 12-week-old ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has largely ended large-scale Israeli bombardment of Gaza.
But Palestinians are still being killed by Israeli fire, especially along the so-called Yellow Line that delineates areas under Israeli control, and the humanitarian crisis is compounded by frequent winter rains and colder temperatures.
On Friday, American actor and film producer Angelina Jolie visited the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
The only crossing between the territory and a country other than Israel, it remains closed despite Palestinian requests to reopen it to people and aid.
Jolie met with members of the Red Crescent on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing and then visited a hospital in the nearby city of Arish to speak with Palestinian patients on Friday, according to Egyptian officials.
Aid groups say not enough shelter materials are getting into Gaza during the truce.
