Although establishing electoral benchmarks is a usual pattern in efforts to resolve international crises, the UN-backed American insistence on holding Libyan elections on time, despite all the obvious obstacles, was particularly intriguing. Trying to hold elections with thousands of foreign mercenaries or local militiamen roaming the streets of Libyan cities, including Tripoli, proved to be a terrible miscalculation. From the start, Western powers, like France, Italy and Germany, jockeyed for a front-row seat in the process. The eastern based-House of Representatives and the normally consultative Tripoli-based State Council talked at cross purposes further blurring the legislative process. During the last seven years since the 2014 election, Libya has not made major strides towards national reconciliation and reunification of the state.

Source: Libya Today December 28, 2021 10:00 UTC