The President of the Libyan Presidential Council, Muhammad Al-Manfi, discussed with Tunisian Prime Minister Najla Boden steps to facilitate the electoral process in Libya, while the President of the Supreme Council of State, Khaled Al-Mashri, expected the elections to be postponed by 3 months.

The media office of the President of the Presidential Council said that during their meeting in the French capital, the exiled and Boden discussed joint files between the two countries, in addition to the outcomes of the Paris conference on Libya, which was held on Friday.

He added that among the files discussed were the steps taken by the council to ensure the conduct of the upcoming electoral process in an impartial manner and to serve the aspirations of the Libyan people.

Possibility of postponing the elections

On the other hand, the head of the Libyan High Council of State, Khaled Al-Mashri, said on the sidelines of a press conference held in Istanbul on Saturday, that the elections scheduled for December 24 will likely be postponed for 3 months, in order to agree on the election laws.

Al-Mashri made it clear that the State Supreme Council will not participate in the elections and will not obstruct them, but he has submitted appeals to the judiciary to adjudicate the decisions of the High Electoral Commission.

Al-Mashri stressed that the Supreme Council of State would not resort to force to prevent the organization of elections, but called for a boycott of them, saying, "If the turnout is zero in a number of electoral districts, this makes them legally void."

Al-Mashri expected that the head of the unity government, Abdel Hamid al-Dabaiba, would win the majority of votes if it was held in a fair atmosphere, ruling out that retired Major General Khalifa Haftar would win more than 10% of the vote.

mercenaries out

Regarding Paris' call for the exit of mercenaries and foreign forces from Libya, Al-Mashri indicated that "France helped Haftar with weapons and technology, and now it equates the Turkish forces that came legally with the mercenaries and criminals who helped Haftar in his aggression against Tripoli."

In their final statement, the participants in the Paris conference threatened to impose sanctions on individuals who "will attempt to take any action that would obstruct or undermine the elections scheduled in Libya" on December 24, whether they are inside or outside the country.

The International Conference on Libya in Paris supported the comprehensive action plan for the withdrawal of mercenaries, foreign fighters and foreign forces from Libyan territory, which was prepared by the Joint Military Committee of the Libyan Dialogue.

On the sidelines of the conference, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin spoke to Agence France-Presse today about his country's presence in Libya, considering it a "force of stability", after French President Emmanuel Macron demanded that Turkey and Russia withdraw their "mercenaries and forces without delay."

"Our soldiers are there according to an agreement with the Libyan government. Therefore, they cannot be put on the level of mercenaries who were brought in from other countries," Kalin added.

The spokesman for the Turkish presidency also asked why Western countries tolerated the Russian mercenaries of the "Wagner" paramilitary company, and said, "Do they really talk to Russia about this matter and are they really making serious and concerted efforts to get Wagner out of Libya?!"