Libya’s Rival Factions Sign UN-Backed Deal on Elections

Libya’s rival factions have signed an agreement that sets a 24-month timetable for presidential and legislative elections, but the deal depends on conditions the country has yet to achieve.

Representatives signed the text in Tripoli at the headquarters of the UN Support Mission in Libya. UN envoy Hanna Tetteh attended the ceremony. The agreement emerged from talks held in Rome and Tunis over recent months.

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important step

Its central condition is that elections must take place under “a single executive authority and unified national institutions.” Libya currently has neither. Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah leads the UN-recognized administration in Tripoli, while a rival eastern authority is backed by military commander Khalifa Haftar.

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under a single executive authority and unified national institutions

The agreement also covers restructuring the High National Electoral Commission. Dbeibah called it an “important step.” Al-Masar television reported that Haftar welcomed progress in dealing with disputes that have blocked elections for years. Tetteh praised the agreement but said it must be turned into concrete action.

Libya has struggled with political division since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi. Elections intended to reunify the country were scheduled for late 2021 but were postponed indefinitely. The factions have disputed whether military personnel and dual nationals should be allowed to run, and whether presidential and legislative votes should occur together or separately. The UN-backed agreement is separate from a US initiative led by Massad Boulos, which seeks closer ties between Libya’s eastern and western authorities.

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in addressing issues that have remained unresolved for years and that have contributed to hindering the will of Libyans to move forward towards holding presidential and legislative elections