Libya

How It Started

The Carter Center’s involvement in Libya’s transition to democracy began at the conclusion of the revolution, during the country’s first nationwide elections in 2012. After receiving an invitation from the electoral commission, The Carter Center deployed a limited mission to observe the election of the General National Congress.

Our Work and Methods

• The 2012 observation mission was limited in geographic coverage because of security risks, but teams assessed election preparations, campaign activities, polling and counting processes, the tabulation of results, and the resolution of any electoral disputes.
• On election day, short-term observers visited polling stations in many parts of the country.
• In 2014, the Center deployed a team of six political and electoral experts to assess elections for the Constitutional Drafting Assembly. The team examined the legal framework and key issues related to the administration and preparation of elections, as well as  the overall political environment in advance of the polls.

Impacts

• The 2012 congressional elections offered Libyans a historic opportunity to vote in meaningful national polls for the first time in six decades. The Carter Center noted the elections were conducted professionally and effectively even in a politically volatile environment.
• After security risks limited the 2014 observer mission as well, the Center issued a final report (PDF) highlighting the major political, economic, and security challenges facing the fragile state. “The hopes of local policymakers and the international community alike that the country will prove capable of institutionalizing itself as a modern state remain alive, but it is clear that the process of doing so will be more arduous and time-consuming than anticipated during the country’s civil war,” the report noted.
• After the 2014 elections, the political situation in Libya devolved into fractious conflict as two regimes claimed supremacy. Because of the increased security risks posed by the conflict, The Carter Center closed its office in Libya.

This project ended in 2014.