United States and Denmark Announce Joint Support to Municipal Electoral Process in Libya

At a ceremony in Tunis on October 4, the United States Government and the Government of Denmark announced their joint support to strengthen municipal council electoral processes in Libya through the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES).

As part of IFES’ United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded engagement with the Libyan Central Committee for Municipal Council Elections (CCMCE), the Government of Denmark is contributing Danish Kroner (DKK) 6,540,000 (approximately $1 million USD) to IFES to increase the capacity of the CCMCE to support voter education and outreach, voter registration, and activities to promote the inclusion of women, youth, and persons with disabilities in the electoral process.

The CCMCE was established through a ministerial decision in April 2013, which mandated it to prepare and implement elections for municipal councils across Libya. Despite challenges, the CCMCE successfully held more than 90 municipal council elections between 2014-16. Due to a four-year term limit, the mandate of over 70 municipal councils elected in 2014 will expire in 2018 and 2019. With IFES support, the CCMCE is currently in the process of preparing for the election of new councils in these municipalities.

In the presence of USAID and IFES, the United States Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs Special Envoy to the Sahel Maghreb and Libya Ambassador Mette Thygesen signed the agreement, which is part of a greater effort to support electoral process stakeholders to deliver adequate support for the preparation and administration of credible elections in Libya.