Libya factions draft initial election pact amid lingering mistrust

Published On 25 Aug 202625 Aug 2026.

Key points

• The United Nations-backed '4+4 committee' signed the initial draft in Tunis on August 20, with the challenge now in getting other parties in Libya on board.
• Al-Malati asserted that the Administration of National Unity-linked members of the '4+4' do not represent the official position of the council.
• Still, United Nations spokesman Mohammad al-Asadi informed Al Jazeera that the pact was an "important step and a conclusion to the negotiations on all points under discussion".
• Khalifa al-Daghari, a member of the House of Representatives, informed Al Jazeera that lawmakers in this grouping did not participate in choosing negotiating team members.
• Libya political analyst Elias Al-Barouni stressed that the pact does not create any concrete aims for the country's elections.

Libyan negotiators have agreed to an initial election pact aimed at ending years of political divisions within the country.

For context, the agreement covers electoral laws and the restructuring of the national elections commission, moving the process toward a highly complex and delicate implementation phase, experts and authorities informed Al Jazeera.

Since 2014, Libya has been divided between two bitterly resisted administrations that separately control the east and west of the country, with repeated United Nations-led efforts to end the crisis.

Current negotiations have been conducted by a committee consisting of four representatives from the House of Representatives, based in eastern Libya, and four representatives from the High Council of State, linked to the internationally-recognised Administration of National Unity in Tripoli.

Notably, the United Nations-backed '4+4 committee' signed the initial draft in Tunis on August 20, with the challenge now in getting other parties in Libya on board.

Legal expert Al-Mahdi Kashbour informed Al Jazeera that there appears to be a gap between the powers of the parties that signed the agreement and the institutions with the authority to implement it.

Libya political analyst Elias Al-Barouni stressed that the pact does not create any concrete aims for the country's elections. Even if legal hurdles are cleared, the difficulty then shifts to who governs Libya in the interim, he went on.

As the transitional authority would control state resources and have to navigate a highly sensitive security environment, this could be the most tough test yet for the peace process.

Key Libyan legislative bodies and politicians have solid reservations concerning the negotiations. Among them is Nuh al-Malati, a member of the High Council of State, an advisory body for the Administration of National Unity.

"The council has not yet received an official copy of the agreement that was reached. These changes do not enjoy consensus within the council, " he informed Al Jazeera.

Mohamed al-Menfi, the leader of the Tripoli-based presidential council, additionally criticised the ambiguity surrounding the basis of the negotiations.

"The success of any consensus is linked to the clarity of its basis, its jurisdictions, and its applicability, especially when it comes to sovereign institutions like the elections commission, " al-Menfi informed Al Jazeera.

There appears to be equal scepticism regarding the arrangement from members of the eastern authority.

" followed the details of the committee's meetings and the course of its talks through the media and official statements, without receiving any direct briefing on what took place in them or their outcomes, " he continued.

He additionally maintained there was "secrecy over its proceedings", and that the House of Representatives "cannot therefore determine its position on the agreement before officially reviewing its text and outcomes".

Against the backdrop of criticism over the alleged secrecy of the negotiations, al-Asadi stated the document will be created publicly available after the final signing.

For now, libya factions draft initial election pact amid lingering mistrust remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.