Libya’s House of Representatives on Monday unanimously approved the final agreement reached by the 4+4 Small Dialogue Committee aimed at paving the way for presidential and parliamentary elections, according to a statement by the parliament.
House of Representatives spokesman Abdullah Bliheg said lawmakers unanimously voted to adopt the agreement during a session in the eastern city of Benghazi.
The agreement provides for restructuring the board of Libya’s High National Elections Commission, addressing disputed issues related to the legal framework for presidential and parliamentary elections, and holding the votes under a single executive authority and unified national institutions within a maximum of 24 months.
Election roadmap
The 4+4 Committee signed the final agreement on Aug. 30 during an official ceremony at the headquarters of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) in the capital Tripoli.
The committee comprises four members representing the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity and four representing eastern Libyan authorities. It has held UN-sponsored talks aimed at breaking Libya’s political deadlock and advancing a roadmap toward elections and unified executive authority.
On Sept. 3, UNSMIL said it had formally referred the agreement to the House of Representatives and the High Council of State, giving the two bodies one month from the date of its signing to approve it.
Libyans hope that the long-awaited elections will end political and armed conflicts and bring to a close the successive transitional periods that have continued since the overthrow of long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi, who ruled Libya from 1969 to 2011.
