LONDON - The US and four European powers on Saturday urged war-torn Libya to quickly set a new date for delayed presidential elections.

In a joint statement, they urged the North African country’s leaders to “swiftly” name a new date and issue the final list of presidential candidates, which had been a key point of contention in the run-up to the polls that were set for Friday.

“We call on the relevant Libyan authorities to respect the aspirations of the Libyan people for prompt elections,” said Britain, France, Germany, Italy and the United States. 

The authorities overseeing the country’s first-ever presidential election said earlier this week that holding it on Friday as scheduled would be “impossible”.

The vote was intended to mark a fresh start for the oil-rich country, a year after a landmark ceasefire and more than a decade after its 2011 revolt that toppled and killed dictator Moamer Kadhafi.