Libya's 4+4 committee signs agreement to restructure electoral commission and hold elections
Libya's 4+4 committee, representing the western and eastern authorities, signed a joint agreement on Sunday under UN auspices to restructure the electoral commission and hold presidential and parliamentary elections within 24 months. The agreement, signed during a session hosted by the UN Support Mission in Libya UNSMIL and attended by Hanna Tetteh, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Libya and Head of UNSMIL, stipulates simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections under a single executive authority and unified national institutions. It allows for an alternative mechanism if institutional unification efforts stall, enabling direct elections. The agreement ensures that a failure in the presidential election would not invalidate the parliamentary vote. It also removes the mandatory second round from the previous 6+6 agreement, allowing an election to conclude when a candidate secures over 50% of the vote. Eligibility rules state that any candidate, civilian or military, is deemed resigned from their position upon running for office, and candidates with another nationality must renounce it before taking the constitutional oath. The agreement also calls for the House of Representatives to rotate its sessions between Tripoli, Benghazi, and Sabha. The 4+4 committee, which first met in Rome in April, includes representatives from the Government of National Unity, led by Walid Al-Lafi, and the eastern-based General Command, headed by Al-Shaibani Abu Hamoud
