UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for calm as street demonstrations spread across Libya in protest of power cuts and the failure to hold national elections.
Talks between Libyan factions in Geneva convened by UN special adviser Stephanie Williams advanced last week but without agreeing a constitution for the election.
On Friday night, protesters stormed parliament in the eastern city of Tobruk as anger erupted over deteriorating living conditions and political stagnation.
“The secretary-general is following with concern the demonstrations that took place in several Libyan cities, including Tripoli, Tobruk and Benghazi,” Guterres’ office said in a statement.
The UN chief called on protesters to “prevent acts of violence and for security forces to act with the utmost restraint.”
According to the statement, Guterres also urged “Libyan actors to unite to overcome the continued political stalemate,” which negatively “is deepening the divide.”
Libyan protesters storm and set fire to parliament building in Tobruk: video
Libyan protesters, after a year of relative calm in the face of endless internal political fights, appear to have lost patience with the political class, saying they will continue to demonstrate until all ruling elites have left power.
Williams had hoped the elections scheduled for December would lead to a change of guard in the country, but disputes over the constitution, the eligibility of certain presidential candidates and the dominance of the old figures who have controlled the political landscape over the past decade. led to its cancellation.
Since the election was not held, Williams has tried to persuade the eastern and western factions of the country to agree on a future constitution for the country as a prerequisite for organizing the election.
Ultimately, it could be the street protests, including the parliamentary assault on Tobruk on Friday, that galvanize the political elite to make the necessary commitments.
This weekend, protesters held their largest rallies in recent years in the capital, Tripoli, chanting slogans against Libya’s political elites, while protesters blocked roads in Benghazi and Misrata and set fire to government buildings in Sebha and Qarabuli.
“We affirm our determination to continue the path of peaceful demonstration to the last breath to achieve our goals,” said the Beltrees youth movement, a group of online activists angry at living conditions.
He said he would occupy city streets and squares until all governing political bodies “publicly announce his resignation.”
The country is divided between the east-based House of Representatives that appointed Fathi Bashagha as prime minister and the Tripoli-based interim government led by Abdul Hamid Dbeibah.
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As part of a previous agreement, Dbeibah had promised to resign when the election was held, but then refused to do so, after which Bashaga made a frustrated attempt to capture Tripoli.
Dbeibah said Friday that all members of Libya’s political institutions should resign and hold elections, but Williams said there was no choice but to agree on a constitutional framework to hold the first presidential election in the country’s history. “The only way to achieve true legitimacy is through the polls,” he said. He warned that the poorest and most disadvantaged had been left out by political disputes.
Neither the Tobruk parliament nor the Western-based High Council of State can claim credible mandates to stay in power since they were elected in 2011, but the previous absence of visible public anger has left up to now the existing class is secure in power, using patronage and access to Libya’s great oil wealth to dispense generosity to key groups.