A signing ceremony was held at the UN mission in Tripoli, following an initial draft agreed upon by a UN‑backed committee in Tunis on August 20.
Published on 30 August 2026
Representatives of Libya’s competing administrations have signed an agreement to organize national elections within two years, ending years of political fragmentation.
The pact, signed on Sunday, stipulates that both legislative and presidential elections will be conducted under a single executive authority within a “period not exceeding 24 months,” according to Walid Ellafi, the state minister for political affairs and communications in the internationally recognized Government of National Unity based in Tripoli.
The ceremony took place in Tripoli at the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), after the UN‑backed “4 + 4 committee” finalized an initial draft in Tunis on August 20.
The committee was composed of four members from the House of Representatives in eastern Libya and eight members from the High Council of State affiliated with the western Government of National Unity.
Since 2014, Libya has been split between two rival administrations: the internationally recognized government and an eastern authority backed by military commander Khalifa Haftar.
Shibani AbuHamoud, head of Haftar’s forces’ general delegation, said his side would collaborate with UNSMIL to develop a “framework within one month of the agreement’s signing to oversee all implementation matters.”
Should the House of Representatives and the High Council of State fail to approve the deal within a month, the agreement would be adopted nationally as a constitutional document and receive backing from the UN Security Council, the text notes.
Nevertheless, skepticism persists about the pact’s viability, with analysts highlighting that the interim governance issue—who will control Libya’s resources and manage the fragile security environment—remains unresolved.
Despite UN and other mediators’ efforts to reunify the country since the 2011 overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi, implementation continues to be the principal obstacle, and presidential elections have repeatedly stalled amid political disputes.
