Libya rivals agree roadmap for elections within 24 months at UN-led talks

By Ahmed Elumami

TRIPOLI, Aug 30 (Reuters) – Representatives of Libya’s rival political parties on Sunday signed an agreement on holding long-delayed national elections within two years to resolve contentious issues over electoral laws and reform the national elections body.

• The political process to resolve more than a decade of conflict in Libya has been stalled since an election scheduled for December 2021 collapsed following disputes over the eligibility of the main candidates.

• Sunday’s signing ceremony was held at the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, UNSMIL, in the Libyan capital Tripoli.

• It followed talks in a smaller format, known as the 4+4, that involved two representatives of each of Libya’s four main institutions: the Government of National Unity, the High Council of State, the House of Representatives and the Libyan National Army.

• Walid Ellafi, state minister of political affairs and communications in the Government of National Unity, said legislative and presidential elections should be held “within a period not exceeding 24 months” under a single executive authority and unified national institutions.

• Shibani AbuHamoud, head of the army’s general command, said the 4+4 would work with UNSMIL “to develop a framework within one month of the signing of the agreement to follow up on all matters related to its implementation”.

• The agreement says that if Libya’s House of Representatives and High Council of State fail to approve the deal within a month, the parties will seek to adopt it nationally as a constitutional document through broad national mechanisms and secure international backing through the U.N. Security Council.

• Libya has had little stability or security since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising.

• It split in 2014 between warring eastern and western factions but there has been little major warfare since a 2020 ceasefire.

• All Libya’s major political players have repeatedly called for elections, but many Libyan people have voiced doubts that they would want a vote that could push most of them from positions of authority.

(Reporting by Muhammad Al Gebaly and Eman Abouhassira; Writing by Ahmed Elumami; editing by Barbara Lewis)