Libya’s eastern and western sides signed a final text formalizing their agreement on election laws. Four officials from the General Command of the Libyan National Army and four officials from the Government of National Unity met at the Tripoli headquarters of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya.
The signed text provides for presidential and parliamentary elections to be held within a period not exceeding 24 months.
Provisions on presidential candidacies
The agreement allows both civilians and military personnel to stand as candidates in presidential elections. Military personnel who submit candidacy applications will be deemed to have resigned from their positions under Law No. 28 of 2023.
If the winner of the presidential election holds dual nationality, they will be required to renounce their second citizenship before the swearing-in ceremony. If the winning candidate retains their second citizenship, the election will be rerun.
No second round will be held if one of the candidates receives 50% plus one of the votes.
Parliamentary elections and the electoral commission
The 2014 House of Representatives Election Law was adopted as the framework law for parliamentary elections. Under the agreement, the chair and deputies of Libya’s High National Elections Commission were designated, and their names were made public.
Elections that have not been held for years
Disputes over election laws between the House of Representatives in Benghazi and the High Council of State in Tripoli are among the main reasons elections have not been held in Libya.
The High Council of State and the Presidency of the Libyan Presidential Council opposed the agreement in statements issued before the 4+4 Committee reached a consensus. The two institutions argued that the text violated the Libyan Political Agreement and would therefore be considered invalid.
