Libya’s stateless ethnic minorities and an upcoming election
Published: 28/Jun/2021
Source: Al Jazeera
With six months to go until the Libyan elections, the country’s ethnic minorities risk being overlooked in the electoral process.
By Agnese Boffano
Libyan expectations are high and candidates are beginning to express interest in running for the elections scheduled for December this year.
These have been delayed three years following a military campaign on the capital Tripoli by renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar’s Tobruk-based government in the east.
The new interim Government of National Unity (GNU) is a provisional government body that was sworn in on March 15. It was tasked to lead the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya to presidential and parliamentary elections later this year.
Although many Libyans are eager to take to the polls, the country’s ethnic minorities risk being overlooked in the electoral process.
These include the Amazigh, Tuareg, and Tebu. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is unable to provide an exact number of stateless individuals in the country, but the percentage of undocumented people remains high. Many are unable to acquire citizenship or other forms of documentation that would allow them to vote on both the elections and a possible constitution.
Read further: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/6/28/libyas-stateless-ethnic-minorities-and-an-upcoming-election