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Zawya
2 days ago
- Politics
- Zawya
22,584 people responded: The results of United Nations Support Mission in Libya's (UNSMIL's) poll on the political process
The United Nations Support Mission in Libya closed its online poll Thursday, which has been ongoing for the last two months, with the participation of 22,584 people. The poll was conducted to invite members of the public to express their preferences on four options proposed by an Advisory Committee made up of Libyan legal, political and constitutional experts towards establishing a government that would have democratic legitimacy. The Mission will use the data, together with opinions solicited from an additional 3,881 people collected through telephone polling and in-person and online group consultations, to inform the development of its new political roadmap, which will be announced during the 21 August Security Council Briefing. 'It was essential to hear as many opinions as possible, from people from all walks of life,' said Special Representative of the Secretary-General Hanna Tetteh. 'The UNSMIL-facilitated roadmap is just that: a facilitation of a Libyan led- and owned-political process. With this new roadmap, the Mission is aiming to respond to the expressed preferences of the Libyan people to facilitate a peaceful political transition that accounts for the political and security realities of the country.' Among poll respondents, 42 per cent said holding presidential and legislative elections concurrently—as soon as possible—was their preferred path to break the country's decade-long political impasse (Advisory Committee Option 1). The next most popular option received 23 percent of the votes. This option, Advisory Committee Option 4, stipulated that existing institutions be dissolved and a dialogue forum be convened to appoint a new executive and select a 60-member constituent assembly, which would adopt a temporary constitution and electoral laws for national elections. Seventeen (17) per cent of poll respondents said they preferred to finalize the constitution before any elections are organized in line with Advisory Committee Option 3. Eleven (11) per cent supported holding legislative elections first, then adopting a constitution before holding presidential elections as was suggested in Advisory Committee Option 2. Seven (7) per cent indicated they preferred a different option from the four the Advisory Committee proposed. When asked why they selected a particular option, 39 per cent of respondents said they believed their choice was 'most likely to avoid the extension of transitional periods.' Twenty-nine (29) per cent said they chose the option they saw as being 'most feasible from a political standpoint.' The remaining respondents prioritized selecting the 'fastest road to elections' (28 per cent) or cited other reasons (4 per cent). 'We cannot wait any longer for elections,' one respondent said. 'These political bodies are expired, they don't represent us and they want to stay in power as long as they can.' The Mission, in the poll, asked for feedback on the Advisory Committee's recommendations to ensure any roadmap is implemented, including preconditions and accountability measures—a common point of discussion both in the poll and in UNSMIL's other consultations. Before elections, respondents placed high importance on enhancing electoral security (96 per cent), ensuring independent funding for the High National Elections Commission (85 per cent), and adopting an amended electoral framework that addresses contentious issues (82 per cent). Sixty-three (63) per cent supported forming a new, unified government to oversee elections and 56 per cent said the HNEC board needed to be fully appointed in line with the Libyan Political Agreement. To ensure the country completes elections, 67 percent of respondents said they supported 'strictly enforced timelines and alternative measures if the relevant parties do not perform their required functions. Sixty-two per cent said people who delay the process should be held accountable through individual sanctions and 52 per cent said individuals running for elections should be required to 'respect the outcomes.' Thirty-five per cent approved of a national mechanism to oversee the implementation of the agreement. The poll respondents, who were self-selected, were largely well educated and politically informed, with 86 percent holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 70 percent reporting familiarity with the Advisory Committee and its proposals prior to taking the poll. Respondents included people from across Libya's districts. Youth, women, cultural components and persons with disabilities were represented. This Mission also reached 2,481 people through in-person and online consultations, including community leaders and representatives of civil society, unions, youth, women and other groups. Compared to the online poll, people in these consultations expressed more support for dissolving institutions and convening a political dialogue forum. A telephone survey of 1,400 randomly selected people, ninety-five percent of whom had never heard of the Advisory Committee or its proposals, leaned more in favor of a constitution-first approach. In total, 26,465 people shared their opinions. 'The Mission must stand firmly with the Libyan people,' one poll respondent said. 'We are a peaceful nation and welcome everyone, but what the people demand is what the Mission should support. We are tired of chaos and division. It is time to build a modern, democratic, civil state governed by the rule of law, where rights and freedoms are respected.' The SRSG thanked all who took the time to share their views. 'Your commitment to building a stronger Libya—despite a myriad of challenges—is admirable,' she said. 'The Mission looks forward to continuing an open dialogue as the roadmap moves forward. Your voices are invaluable.' Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).
Times
29-05-2025
- General
- Times
Starmer's legal chief in Nazi jibe at anti-ECHR Tories and Reform
Sir Keir Starmer's chief legal officer has likened attempts by the Tories and Reform to pull Britain out of international courts to 1930s Nazi Germany. Lord Hermer, the attorney-general, said Britain 'must be ready to reform' international agreements such as the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) so that they retain 'democratic legitimacy'. But he categorised Kemi Badenoch's policy to 'disengage' from the ECHR and other international bodies if they no longer serve British interests as a 'pick and mix' approach similar to that pursued by Nazi Germany to ensure the power of the state trumped the law. Reform's policy at the last election was to leave the ECHR and the 'foreign' court in Strasbourg. Sources close to Hermer insisted he was not likening right-wing politicians to Nazis, pointing out that he said they were acting in 'good faith' and were 'patriots'. Hermer said in a speech to the Royal United Services Institute: 'The claim that international law is fine as far as it goes, but can be put aside when the conditions change, is a claim that was made in the early 1930s by 'realist' jurists in Germany, most notably Carl Schmitt, whose central thesis was in essence the claim that state power is all that counts.' Schmitt was a German political theorist who provided ideological justification to the Nazi regime and supported Hitler's move to bypass the German constitution and rule by decree in 1933. Hermer added: 'Our approach is a rejection of the siren song, that can sadly now be heard in the Palace of Westminster, not to mention the press, that Britain abandon the constraints of international law in favour of raw power.' He said that while the government must respect and comply with international institutions, the law could not 'stand still and rest on its laurels'. Hermer added: 'International law cannot and must not replace politics. As we have shown time and again as a nation, from a position of respect and compliance . . . reform is possible and institutions can be reformed. We must be ready to reform where necessary.' Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, described Hermer's plan to reform the convention as 'fanciful' because it would require unanimity from all 46 signatories. He hit back at criticism of those who want to leave it, saying: 'It is appalling that Hermer would insinuate those who think we should leave the ECHR are like the Nazis. David Lammy tried that disgusting smear with Brexiteers and it didn't work for him. It won't work for Hermer either.' deportation of foreign criminals, including sex offenders. Hermer's speech signals a notable shift in his approach. He has previously been blamed for acting as a 'freeze on government' by taking a risk-averse approach to potential legal challenges. It also suggests that the government is prepared to go further to tweak the way in which domestic courts interpret Article 8 of the ECHR, which protects the right to a family and private life. • • Leaving the ECHR can become Badenoch's big cause This month ministers said that they would change the law to prevent judges blocking deportation of foreign criminals and failed asylum seekers. The move would constrain interpretation of Article 8 and more closely define who qualifies for protection and when. Cases in which Article 8 has been invoked include an Albanian jailed for running a cannabis factory who avoided deportation when judges ruled it would deprive his daughter of a 'male role model'. There is a growing appetite across the continent to consider changes to the convention to help tackle illegal immigration. Hermer's speech suggests the government is now willing to go further than reforms to Article 8. He also criticised international judges for overinterpreting agreements signed decades ago in different circumstances. 'States . . . did not give an open-ended licence for international rules to be ever more expansively interpreted or for institutions to adopt a position of blindness or indifference to public sentiment,' he said. 'As progressive realists we recognise that international law cannot stand still.' A source close to Hermer said: 'The attorney-general sees those on the other side of this debate as patriots acting in good faith — but deeply misguided because ripping up international law will only help those who want a lawless world like Vladimir Putin. He is the son of a former Conservative councillor, who sees this as nothing but a good-faith argument in the British family.'
