Libya’s rival factions sign UN-backed election deal

Libya's rival factions have signed a UN-backed agreement in Tripoli, aiming to pave the way for long-delayed national elections and unify the country. The agreement, reached after months of talks in Rome and Tunis, was signed at the headquarters of the UN Support Mission in Libya (Unsmil) in Tripoli in the presence of mission chief Hanna Tetteh, according to The National UAE and The National Business.

The deal addresses the first two stages of Unsmil's political road map: reconstituting the High National Electoral Commission and resolving outstanding disputes over the constitutional and legal framework governing presidential and parliamentary elections. Under the agreement, electoral laws would be amended to allow presidential and parliamentary elections to be held under a single executive authority, with the parties committing to hold the elections within 24 months.

The agreement also calls for endorsement by the House of Representatives and the High State Council within one month and establishes a follow-up mechanism to support implementation. Hanna Tetteh said the signing represents an important step towards overcoming the political and institutional impasse that has hindered the electoral process in Libya, but warned that the agreement would need to be translated into "tangible actions".

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch Nigeria, The National UAE, The National Business — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.