Libya to hold elections on 24 December 2021, according to the UN

24 December 2021 is the date chosen by the representatives of the two parties to the conflict in Libya and agreed with the United Nations.

"The 75 participants in this forum have decided that national elections on a constitutional basis will be held on 24 December 2021, 70 years after Libya's declaration of independence," said Friday Stephanie Williams, UN representative for Libya.

The agreed date coincides with the 70th anniversary of the country's declaration of independence and offers a "golden opportunity" to move forward, Williams said.

This week's talks in Tunisia follow a ceasefire last month between the two main parties in conflict in the country - the internationally recognised National Accord Government (NAG) and the Libyan National Army (LNA) of renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar, based in the east of the country.

After intense negotiations over the past year, with the Berlin conference in January, meetings in Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and now Libya itself, participants in negotiations on the future of the North African country have reached a pact to hold elections within 18 months.

"It is a symbolic day, it is a very important date for the Libyans, but I also believe that it is a really critical date in Libyan history because it will be an opportunity for them to democratically elect their leaders and really renew the legitimacy of their institutions," the diplomat said, stressing that the United Nations will continue to work to facilitate its holding.

"We are at the beginning of a process that is moving forward and that will take time, but there has been quite significant progress and certainly a lot of goodwill around the table here (in Tunisia), where there are people who have not spoken to each other for years," the UN representative added.

Haftar, which enjoys the support of Egypt, Russia and the United Arab Emirates, launched an offensive in Tripoli in April 2019, but was pushed back in June by the GNA with military support from Turkey in an operation that pushed its troops back to the central coast.

The sixth round of talks of the 5+5 Joint Military Commission began Tuesday in the city of Sirte. The UN mission, in a statement, added that this meeting aims to accelerate the implementation of a ceasefire agreement signed on 23 October in Geneva.

"In order to advance the implementation of the ceasefire agreement signed in Geneva on 23 October 2020 and to continue the progress made last week in Ghadames, the 5+5 joint military commission will meet again for a sixth round of talks from 10 to 13 November at its new permanent headquarters in the city of Sirte, Libya," UNSMIL said in a statement.

UNSMIL added that it would support the Sirte talks, and said the participants should complete discussions on the implementation of the ceasefire as well as the formation of specialized subcommittees. 

The agreement reached in Geneva also ended the blockade of oil installations. Pro-Haftar militias blocked the oil installations and forced the Libyan National Oil Company (NOC) to declare "force majeure status" in February, at the height of the offensive by pro-Government National Accord militias against Haftar forces, which had been besieging the capital since April 2019. The blockade, which began in January, has reduced Libya's pumping from around 1.2 million barrels a day to just 100,000. The export activity of three Libyan oil terminals, such as Hariga, Zueitina and Brega, has grown considerably. Brega is expected to export three shipments of 600,000 barrels in October, according to a loading schedule available to Reuters. 

In recent months, three negotiating tracks have been opened in three different locations: in Geneva, where negotiations began in February to establish the first steps to be taken. In Morocco, in Bouznika, political and structural peace pacts are being discussed. And in Egypt, Hurgada, where the steps to be taken for a ceasefire and to agree on military and security restructuring are being shared.