By Roxana Dumitrescu
The High National Elections Commission aimed to hold presidential and parliamentary elections in mid-April 2026. However, these failed to materialise amid ongoing political and security fragmentation and instability. The elections, initially planned for December 2021, remain indefinitely postponed with Libya’s political transition stalled as key stakeholders continue to disagree over the necessary electoral framework.
Backdrop
Libya remains divided between the internationally recognised Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU), led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, and the eastern-based Government of National Stability (GNS), headed by Osama Hammad, which is backed militarily by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA).
The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has proposed a roadmap aimed at bridging the gap between the different factions, facilitating the adoption of an electoral framework and paving the way for unification and elections. However, there has been little progress made towards meeting the goals set out in the roadmap due to persistent political fragmentation, rival institutions and a lack of consensus.
The United States (US) has also shown renewed interest in Libya and has proposed a four-pillar strategy to address the impasse. The plan entails a unified national budget, the unification of military institutions, the formation of a unified government and presidential and parliamentary elections within six months of reaching an agreement for a new executive structure. Despite the country’s approval of its first unified budget in more than a decade in April this year, the American initiative has faced criticism and resistance from across the political spectrum.
The death of General Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad, Chief of the General Staff of the Libyan Army, in a December 2025 plane crash and the February 2026 assassination of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, also represented a serious setback for Libya’s leadership and raised concerns about the potential implications on the ongoing efforts to unify and reform the country’s fragmented security institutions.
Projected outcome
Despite repeated international and United Nations (UN) efforts and renewed attempts by the United States, the political impasse between the two rival governments is expected to persist due to the deadlock over proposed legislation. Recently, talks of elections have resurfaced with all sides reaffirming their commitment and desire for elections, at the end of 2026 or the beginning of 2027. However, substantial progress and compromise must be reached to facilitate real change.