Rival Libya factions sign deal to hold national elections within two years

What the report says

Representatives from Libya’s rival political camps have signed an agreement to organize legislative and presidential elections within a maximum of 24 months, according to Al Jazeera’s report citing Reuters. The deal was signed in Tripoli at the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) after an earlier draft was drawn up by a UN-backed committee in Tunis on August 20.

The accord involves figures linked to the internationally recognized Government of National Unity in Tripoli and the eastern authorities associated with Khalifa Haftar. It says the two vote types should take place under a single executive authority, reflecting another attempt to bridge Libya’s long-running split between competing administrations that has persisted since 2014.

Al Jazeera reported that the agreement also sets out a follow-up process with UNSMIL and includes a provision for national adoption if Libya’s main legislative bodies do not approve it within a month. That mechanism is meant to keep the process moving, although the report notes that skepticism remains about whether the deal will be implemented.

The latest pact matters because Libya’s repeated efforts to reach a nationwide election have stalled for years amid disputes over political power, control of resources and the country’s fragile security environment. More broadly, international mediation has sought to unify Libya since the 2011 uprising that removed Muammar Gaddafi, but a lasting settlement has remained elusive.