Libya’s rival factions sign UN-backed election deal

Representatives of Libya’s rival political groups signed on Sunday a UN-backed agreement that was presented as a step towards holding much-delayed national elections in the deeply divided country.

The two sides signed the text, a result of talks held in recent months in Rome and Tunis, in the capital Tripoli at the headquarters of the UN Support Mission in Libya, with its chief Hanna Tetteh in attendance.

The agreement provides for legislative and presidential elections to be organised within 24 months though on the condition that they be held “under a single executive authority and unified national institutions”, which is not yet the case.

The oil-rich North African country has struggled to recover from the chaos that followed the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi.

Two governments are currently vying for power: the UN-recognised administration in Tripoli led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, and a rival in the east backed by military commander Khalifa Haftar.

Dbeibah described the agreement, which notably covers the restructuring of the High National Electoral Commission, as an “important step”.

Television channel al-Masar reported that Haftar welcomed progress “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”.

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Tetteh also hailed the agreement while calling for it to be translated into concrete action.

Presidential elections aiming to unify the fractured country were scheduled for late 2021, but were postponed indefinitely over disputes.

In recent years the sides have disagreed over whether military personnel and dual nationals should be eligible to run, as well as whether the presidential and legislative ballots should be held simultaneously or separately.

In August 2025, the UN proposed a roadmap for general elections and the unification of institutions in Libya that looked to implement a “politically viable electoral framework” and “a new unified government”.

The UN-backed agreement is separate from another initiative led by Massad Boulos, US President Donald Trump’s senior adviser on Arab and African affairs, which aims for a rapprochement between Libya’s eastern and western authorities.

AFP