European Union (EU) spokesperson, Luis Miguel Bueno, renewed the union's threat to impose sanctions on election obstructionists in Libya, stressing the "priority" of holding the elections on their scheduled date next December. Bueno said, "The EU has adopted a legal framework that allows for the imposition of sanctions on persons and entities that obstruct or undermine the elections," referring to UN Security Council Resolution 2571 (2021), which supports this step. The EU spokesperson stated that the Paris Conference on Libya, which was held this month, "showed that the priority at the present time is holding presidential and parliamentary elections within a schedule set by the electoral commission starting from 24 December." "We are ready to mobilize all our resources to assist Libya during this complex process," he said, adding that "the resolution of the Libyan conflict can only be political, through an inclusive process owned and led by Libyans, and restore Libya's sovereignty and territorial integrity." About waving the sanctions paper, the European Union had previously introduced, last June, an amendment to its decision regarding "restrictive measures in Libya" to include taking into account the developments of the current situation in the country. The resolution includes imposing sanctions on individuals and bodies that contribute to threatening peace and security in Libya, and the amendment opens the door to imposing penalties on those who commit actions that obstruct the elections. Regarding the support provided by the EU, Bueno said: "We support the National Electoral Commission with a project worth 11 million euros that provides technical support and capacity building, and encourages the participation of women, youth and vulnerable groups." As for the insurance, the European official explained that the union's support is of a political and technical nature, saying: "We are confident that the Libyan authorities will provide the necessary means to secure the electoral process." With regard to the threats of armed militias in western Libya to undermine the electoral process, he said: "It is important to respect the agreements reached at the Berlin conference in June regarding elections and a ceasefire." On the other hand, the official spokesperson for the Libyan High National Electoral Commission, Khaled Omar, stated, on Sunday, that the Electoral Commission will close the door for candidacy for the presidential elections on Monday at 4:00 pm local time (2 pm GMT). The spokesperson said that the number of candidates for the position of President of Libya has so far reached 32 candidates, explaining that 22 candidates have submitted through the Tripoli electoral district, while the Greater Benghazi electoral district has 7 candidates, while the number of applicants through the Sabha electoral district in southern Libya has 3 candidates.
