Libyan factions sign initial election pact in Tunis amid doubts over implementation

Libyan negotiators have signed a preliminary election agreement in Tunis in a new attempt to move the country toward long-delayed polls. The pact was reached by the UN-backed 4+4 committee and covers electoral laws as well as the restructuring of the national elections commission. It is the latest effort to bridge Libya's political divide after years of competing administrations in the east and west.

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The committee includes four representatives from the House of Representatives, based in eastern Libya, and four from the High Council of State, which is linked to the internationally recognised Government of National Unity in Tripoli. According to the supporting material, the draft was signed on 20 August, while the report describing it was published on 25 August. Legal expert Al-Mahdi Kashbour said there appears to be a gap between the powers of the signatories and the institutions that would have to implement the deal.

The agreement has been presented as a step toward elections, but officials and analysts cited in the material say the practical path remains unclear. Libya political analyst Elias Al-Barouni said the pact does not set out concrete plans for the country's elections. He added that even if legal obstacles are resolved, the question of who governs in the interim would remain a major challenge.

That interim authority would control state resources and operate in a sensitive security environment. The development matters because Libya has remained split since 2014, when rival administrations took shape in the east and west. Repeated United Nations-led efforts have sought to end the crisis, but progress has been limited by institutional fragmentation and political mistrust.

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The new draft is intended to address electoral rules and the body responsible for administering a vote, both of which have been central obstacles in previous talks. There are also signs of resistance from within Libya's political institutions. Nuh al-Malati, a member of the High Council of State, said the council had not yet received an official copy of the agreement and that the changes did not enjoy consensus within the body.

He also said the Government of National Unity-linked members of the 4+4 committee do not represent the council's official position. Mohamed al-Menfi, head of the Tripoli-based presidential council, also criticised the ambiguity surrounding the basis of the talks. What happens next will depend on whether the agreement can win broader backing inside Libya and whether the institutions with formal authority accept its terms.

The material does not say when, or even whether, the pact will be translated into binding legislation or an election timetable. For now, the deal marks a procedural advance, but the legal and political obstacles to implementation remain substantial.

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