Brussels, 27/06/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 26 June, the European Union commended the Libyan people who turned out to vote in their parliamentary elections, suggesting that the elections offer an opportunity to overcome the political polarisation. “They defied the often precarious security situation to make use of their recently gained democratic rights”, said the spokesperson to High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton. Only 400,000 of the 1.5 million registered voters went to the polling stations - a turnout of less than 27%. The EU also condemned the killing of three policemen in Benghazi as “they carried out their duty to protect polling stations”.
According to Ashton's spokesperson these parliamentary elections offer “an opportunity to put the transition process back on track and overcome the recent political polarisation”. The spokesperson underlined that the EU trusts that the new Council of Representatives “will, on the basis of past experience, be in a position to embody national consensus and play its role in forming a government with wide political support”.
Ashton's spokesperson congratulated the Libyan High National Electoral Commission (HNEC) for organising these elections in a challenging environment. “We recall our strong commitment to support HNEC and other key Libyan institutions in their efforts to promote democracy in Libya”, the spokesperson stated. “We remain committed to support the Libyan people to achieve their aspirations to live in a democratic, stable and prosperous country”, Ashton's spokesperson added. (CG)