Libya’s two rival governments signed a deal on Sunday committing to hold legislative and presidential elections within 24 months, under one executive authority. Walid Ellafi, state minister of political affairs and communications in the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity, gave Al Jazeera the wording: a “period not exceeding 24 months.”
The ceremony took place in Tripoli at the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, known as UNSMIL. It followed an initial draft signed in Tunis on August 20 by the UN-backed “4+4 committee,” made up of four members of the House of Representatives in the east and four from the High Council of State, which is linked to the Tripoli government in the west.
Two administrations since 2014
Libya has been split since 2014 between the internationally recognised government and an eastern administration backed by the renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar. The UN and other mediators have tried to reunify the country since 2011, when a rebellion toppled and killed Muammar Gaddafi. A presidential election has repeatedly stalled over political disputes.
Shibani AbuHamoud, head of the general delegation of Haftar’s forces, said it would work with UNSMIL on a “framework within one month of the signing of the agreement to follow up on all matters related to its implementation.”
The text sets its own fallback. If the House of Representatives and the High Council of State have not approved the deal within a month, the parties would adopt it nationally as a constitutional document, with international support through the UN Security Council.
Doubts remain
Scepticism is widespread. Analysts quoted by Al Jazeera said the central question is still unanswered: who governs Libya in the interim. Whoever does would control the country’s resources and have to manage a sensitive security situation. Implementation, the outlet noted, has been the biggest obstacle all along.
