Libya’s rival political administrations have agreed on a roadmap aimed at holding nationwide elections within the next two years, in a move intended to end the country’s long-running political division. Representatives from eastern and western Libya signed the agreement on Sunday following months of UN-backed negotiations through the 4+4 Committee, which brings together officials from both sides. The deal calls for restructuring the country’s electoral commission and resolving outstanding disputes over electoral laws. It also envisions elections being organised through a unified authority and national sovereign institutions. Libya’s Presidential Council Vice-President Moussa Al-Koni said the agreement represented an opportunity to move the country from managing political division toward ending it.
Representing the eastern administration, Abdul Rahman Al-Abbar said the committee had overcome obstacles through compromise and what he described as a shared commitment to national interests. Libya has remained politically divided since the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi. The country has since been split between rival administrations, with Abdulhamid Dbeibah’s Government of National Unity based in the west and an eastern administration backed by forces aligned with military commander Khalifa Haftar. Previous efforts to organise national elections have repeatedly stalled over disagreements about electoral laws, the eligibility of candidates and the structure of state institutions.
The latest agreement does not itself guarantee that elections will take place, but supporters say it provides a framework for addressing some of the institutional disputes that have blocked progress. The UN has been supporting efforts to reunify Libya’s institutions and establish conditions for credible nationwide elections. Discussions on reunification have also involved outside mediation, including reported efforts by Pakistan to help bridge differences between the rival sides. If implemented, the new roadmap could represent one of the most significant attempts in years to move Libya toward unified governance and nationwide elections.
