Aboul Gheit urged all the Libyan parties and factions to rise above any disputes and put the higher interest of the country above any calculations, noting that Libya stands at a crucial crossroads, which requires unity, integration and cooperation from the Libyan people to move past.

He also prodded Libyans to use dialogue to resolve the current dispute, and avoid resorting to violence and arms, or the threat thereof.

The elections were previously set to have been held on 24 December, the culmination of a United Nations-led process agreed upon to end 10 years of turmoil that have wracked Libya following the ouster and killing of president Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

However, the government failed to hold the elections as scheduled due to disagreements over the legal basis for the vote given procedural delays. Thus far, the Libyan elections authority has not announced the final list of candidates. The law obliges the authority to publish the list at least two weeks ahead of the vote.

A replacement date for the vote has yet to be officially selected, although Libya’s parliament is scheduled to meet Monday to discuss the issue.