On 20 July, the High National Elections Commission (HNEC) issued a decision suspending elections in eleven municipalities that had been scheduled to vote in the second phase of municipal council elections. HNEC did not provide specific reasons for the suspension, stating only that the electoral process would resume once the causes of the suspension are resolved. The municipalities affected are: Tubruq, Qasr al-Jadi, Benghazi, Tokra, Qaminis, Al-Abyar, Suluq, Sirte, Sebha, Janzour, and Wadi Zamzam.
On 21 July, HNEC said voting in those municipalities had been suspended due to voter cards not being distributing, saying this had resulted in the exclusion of more than 150,000 voters and over 1,000 candidates. It said orders were issued to halt the implementation of this phase in 10 electoral districts located in the eastern and southern regions, due to verbal instructions from security directorates affiliated with the GNS Interior Ministry. these instructions included the immediate suspension of the distribution of voter cards, without notifying it or explaining the reasons behind the decision. It also mentioned its attempts to resume the process were unsuccessful.
In Janzour, HNEC attributed the lack of voter cards to the actions of the head of the Janzour municipal steering council—who is also a candidate in the elections—who, in collusion with the local education supervisor, shut down the designated distribution centres.
HNEC extended the distribution of voter cards in the remaining 51 municipalities until 22 July.
On 21 July, UN SRSG Hanna Tetteh met with HNEC chairman Emad al-Sayeh, to discuss progress in implementation of elections in 62 municipalities across Libya. UNSMIL said it is deeply concerned about the announcement suspending the electoral process in 11 municipalities and urged all relevant authorities to swiftly address the underlying issues and enable conditions for the prompt resumption of electoral operations in those municipalities.