Libya's presidential candidates call for unity after poll postponement

Libya’s Presidential candidates are calling for the polls to be conducted on Friday as it was planned before.

The candidates met Tuesday and further called for unity despite the recent proposal to have the Friday polls postponed for one month.

"Libya's presidential candidates hold a meeting today to unify national efforts to events with the challenges and the events that our beloved country is experiencing these days, and out of respect for over a million and a half Libyan voters who are waiting for the scheduled date of the presidential and parliamentary elections," said Fathi Bashagha, one of Libya's presidential candidates.

The Libyan Electoral Commission proposed on Wednesday to postpone by one month the presidential election initially scheduled for December 24, shortly after a parliamentary committee concluded that it was "impossible" to hold it on that date. Among these considerations, the HNEC cited "inadequate electoral laws regarding the role of the judiciary in electoral appeals and disputes." "After consultation with parliament, the High Electoral Commission proposes to postpone the first round of the election to January 24, 2022. The parliament will adopt the necessary measures to remove the obstacles to the electoral process," it announced in a statement.

"The appeals phase was a dangerous turning point for the electoral process. It was in fact the point where all efforts to bring this historic deadline to a successful conclusion came to a halt due to considerations beyond the control of those in charge of the process," the Electoral Authority explained.