TRIPOLI: The UN is committed to helping Libya organize elections by the end of this year, encouraged by the rate at which Libyans have been registering to vote, a top UN official said on Wednesday.
The UN hopes elections can help stabilize Libya, which was thrown into turmoil after long-time leader Muammar Qaddafi was toppled in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011.
Holding elections is a major challenge in a country still split among military and political factions, and where rival governments have claimed authority since the result of a 2014 vote was disputed. Security in many parts of Libya is poor.
A new electoral law would likely have to be agreed and a referendum on a constitution held before national polls.
A UN effort launched in September aims to amend a December 2015 peace plan for Libya and pave the way for a vote, but has so far produced no deal on how to move toward one.
Jeffrey Feltman, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, said the UN saw elections this year as a route to a “peaceful and inclusive end to the transition phase.”
“The goal is a Libyan goal: to end the transition phase with an inclusive peaceful process that produces a unified government that is a product of the will of the Libyan people,” Feltman told reporters in Tripoli after meeting Fayez Seraj, head of the internationally recognized government.
“I had the opportunity to talk to the prime minister about the commitment of the secretary-general, the hope of the United Nations, to see inclusive elections take place in 2018, and to pledge the support of the United Nations to support those elections.”
Feltman said the UN had been “very encouraged” by the apparent enthusiasm for elections, pointing to around half a million new voters who have signed up since voter registration was opened in early December.
“Public opinion poll after public opinion poll demonstrate the strong support of the majority of Libyans from all parts of the country to be able to participate in credible elections and to be able to participate in credible elections in this year,” he said.
Libya’s election commission says a total of 1,965,450 people are now registered to vote, out of a population of more than 6 million. Turnout in the 2014 election was just 630,000. The polls led to a battle for control of Tripoli, and to rival governments being set up in the capital and in eastern Libya.
The government in the east is aligned with powerful military commander Khalifa Haftar, a likely contender in any presidential poll.
UN endorses elections for Libya by end of 2018
UN endorses elections for Libya by end of 2018
Israel police to deploy around Al-Aqsa for Ramadan, Palestinians report curbs
- The Al-Aqsa compound is a central symbol of Palestinian identity and also a frequent flashpoint
JERUSALEM: Israeli police said Monday that they would deploy in force around the Al?Aqsa Mosque during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins this week, as Palestinian officials accused Israel of imposing restrictions at the compound.
Over the course of the month of fasting and prayer, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians traditionally attend prayers at Al?Aqsa — Islam’s third-holiest site, located in east Jerusalem, which Israel captured in 1967 and later annexed.
Arad Braverman, a senior Jerusalem police officer, said forces would be deployed “day and night” across the compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, and in the surrounding area.
He said thousands of police would also be on duty for Friday prayers, which draw the largest crowds of Muslim worshippers.
Braverman said police had recommended issuing 10,000 permits for Palestinians from the occupied West Bank, who require special permission to enter Jerusalem.
He did not say whether age limits would apply, adding that the final number of people would be decided by the government.
The Palestinian Jerusalem Governorate said in a separate statement it had been informed that permits would again be restricted to men over 55 and women over 50, mirroring last year’s criteria.
It said Israeli authorities had blocked the Islamic Waqf — the Jordanian?run body administering the site — from carrying out routine preparations, including installing shade structures and setting up temporary medical clinics.
A Waqf source confirmed the restrictions and said 33 of its employees had been barred from entering the compound in the week before Ramadan.
The Al-Aqsa compound is a central symbol of Palestinian identity and also a frequent flashpoint.
Under long?standing arrangements, Jews may visit the compound — which they revere as the site of their second temple, destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD — but they are not permitted to pray there.
Israel says it is committed to maintaining this status quo, though Palestinians fear it is being eroded.
Braverman reiterated Monday that no changes were planned.
In recent years, a growing number of Jewish ultranationalists have challenged the prayer ban, including far?right politician Itamar Ben?Gvir, who prayed at the site while serving as national security minister in 2024 and 2025.
