PM Dbeibah urges swift electoral reforms after UN unveils roadmap

The United Nations has outlined a new political roadmap intended to guide Libya towards national elections, a move that has drawn both cautious backing and pointed warnings from Libyan leaders.

On Thursday, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) confirmed that Special Envoy Stephanie Khoury Tetteh presented the plan during a briefing to the Security Council.

UNSMIL spokesperson Mohamed El-Asadi described the roadmap as a “comprehensive framework” aimed at delivering elections in a practical and realistic way.

He said the first stage involves restructuring the High National Elections Commission (HNEC) and amending electoral laws within two months, paving the way for negotiations on forming a unified government.

El-Asadi acknowledged that talks on a unity government will be difficult, but stressed they are necessary, adding that no strict timetable can be imposed on that part of the process.

Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah welcomed the briefing, saying his government supports any initiative that advances elections and unifies institutions.

He argued that electoral laws have remained the central obstacle since 2021 and should be addressed urgently.

While describing any roadmap towards elections as a positive step, he stressed that the decisive factor lies in the free will of Libyans, pointing to municipal election turnout as evidence of public demand for renewed legitimacy.

Dbeibah reiterated that elections based on implementable laws are the only path to ending political division, and cautioned that efforts to resolve parallel bodies must not become a reason to delay a vote.

Libya’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Taher El-Sonni, also addressed the Council, warning that Libya is at a critical moment. He said the country’s crisis is “not legal but profoundly political” and has been worsened by years of foreign interference.

El-Sonni expressed concern that Libyans remain sceptical of international initiatives due to repeated setbacks in the past. He criticised the Council’s silence on incomplete municipal elections, saying it sends a negative signal about global commitment to Libya’s democratic process.

The ambassador further highlighted risks posed by parallel public spending by rival institutions, which he said entrenches duplication and mismanagement of funds.

He called on the Security Council to provide concrete support to the Presidential Council and the Government of National Unity in extending security, strengthening state authority, and dismantling armed groups operating outside state control.