Ask the Experts: What Does Libya Need for Elections to Succeed?
Channel: United States Institute of Peace
Date: 2023-03-20

Abdoulaye Bathily, the U.N. secretary-general’s special representative for Libya, recently announced his new plan for elections in Libya, which he hopes will take place later this year. But the plan itself was light on implementation, and after similar plans collapsed in 2021, the U.N. will need to learn from past shortcomings to ensure there is not only a solid basis for elections, but a strong foundation for what comes after as well.

USIP’s Thomas Hill spoke with Tarek Megerisi, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, about the path toward successful elections in Libya. Their conversation looks at how to safeguard major decisions — such as election monitoring, security and who can run for office — from corruption and delves into why the current international cohesion around Libya makes this one of the best, and possibly the last, chances for establishing stable democracy in the country.

00:00 What does Libya need for elections to succeed?
00:16 What is the new United Nations plan for elections in Libya?
02:02 What are some lessons from previous electoral plans for Libya? 
03:25 What will Libyans expect if there are elections in 2023?
04:38 What would go into the mechanics for an election in 2023? Is Libya prepared?
06:18 How will armed groups respond to possible elections?
07:28 Do elections need to happen before other key questions are settled?
09:13 What about the external actors in Libya?
10:55 Who is eligible to run for office in Libya?
12:51 How likely is it that elections happen in Libya in 2023?

For more: https://www.usip.org/blog/2023/03/ask-experts-what-does-libya-need-elections-succeed

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Video by Larisa Epatko