Libya factions pledge elections within 2 years

Rival Libyan political factions have signed an agreement to hold presidential and parliamentary elections within two years, a move aimed at breaking the country’s long-running electoral deadlock. The deal was signed on Sunday at the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) headquarters in Tripoli. Representatives from the country’s eastern and western authorities, known as the 4+4 Committee, committed to holding elections within 24 months under a unified executive authority and national institutions.

“The elections should take place within a period not exceeding 24 months,” Walid Ellafi, state minister for political affairs in the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity, said. Moussa Al-Koni, Vice-President of the Libyan Presidential Council, described the agreement as an opportunity to move Libya “from managing division to bringing it to an end.”

Abdul Rahman Al-Abbar, a member of the 4+4 Committee representing the eastern administration, said the agreement was the result of “genuine national will and sound intentions.”

Libya has been divided since the 2011 ouster of Muammar Gaddafi. The country has been run by two rival governments: Abdulhamid Dbeibah’s internationally recognised Government of National Unity in the west, and Khalifa Haftar’s Government of National Stability in the east. The 4+4 Committee includes two representatives from each of Libya’s four main institutions: the Government of National Unity, the High Council of State, the House of Representatives, and the Libyan National Army.

Under the deal, if the House of Representatives and the High Council of State fail to approve it within a month, the parties will seek to adopt it as a constitutional document through broader national mechanisms and secure international backing through the UN Security Council.

SOURCE: AP