Libyans react to postponement of presidential elections

The announcement by the Libyan authorities that the presidential elections scheduled for Friday would have to be postponed for a month has prompted reactions from the general population.

The date was set last year after UN-led peace talks held in Tunis.

"Everyone was waiting for these elections, to save Libya, we want a president elected by the people to govern Libya, who would be recognised by all states in the world, in order to get us out of this crisis. (...) "we don’t know what’s happening now, until when will the elections be postponed? After December 24, but until when? one week? two? a year? Nobody knows. On the whole, nothing is clear", complains Nabil Al-Sharif Tarish, a grocer in Tripoli. 

Shopkeeper Al-Mahdi Tahinish added: 

"We hope that the war won’t return — we hope. War brings nothing but destruction, ruin and displacement, so we hope that it wouldn't return". 

The postponement has also raised concerns with the US, France and Germany warning against the risks of further delay.

Libya has seen a year of relative calm since the October 2020 ceasefire following a year-long offensive by eastern military chief Khalifa Haftar forces on Tripoli, with both sides backed by foreign states.