On Wednesday evening 2 May, the spokesperson for the European External Action Service condemned the attack that had taken place several hours earlier on the Libyan High National Electoral Commission (HNEC) in Tripoli, calling for an investigation.
The HNEC "plays an important role in the development of legitimate institutions in Libya. The attack, targeting directly its work, must be promptly investigated", the spokesperson said in a press release. The attack has been claimed by so-called Islamic State and has left 12 people dead.
With the Quartet for Libya having expressed its support on Monday 30 April for elections in the country this year (see EUROPE 12013), the spokesperson said that these elections were "key for establishing stable, unified, representative and effective governance for the country". "Libyan citizens, through exercising their fundamental right to vote, will be given the opportunity to shape their country’s future", the spokesperson stated.
Reiterating the EU's support for the efforts of UN Special Representative Ghassan Salamé to find a lasting solution to the crisis, the spokesperson said that the EU expected all legitimate Libyan actors to work towards this goal by "showing willingness to compromise and by putting the interests of the Libyan people first". (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)