The UN's new roadmap for Libya and its upcoming challenges

Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) and head of UNSMIL, Hanna Tetteh, presented an ambitious timeline to establish a new Libyan unity government within two months.

That government would then aim to try and oversee simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections after a year.

The purpose of this tight timeline is to maintain momentum and prevent Libya’s entrenched elites from devising new ways to delay progress.

However, UNSMIL faces significant challenges, including a rapidly deteriorating government in Tripoli and an increasingly powerful actor in eastern Libya. Forming a unity government from these factions will be difficult.

Still, with a unified international community behind it, UNSMIL can respond to spoilers and roadblocks with decisive sanctions aimed at securing compliance from Libya’s political actors.

UNSMIL can also rely on the Libyan people, who have increasingly shown they are ready and willing to participate in elections as soon as possible.

The new plan

In a briefing to the United Nations Security Council, Tetteh laid out a new plan for resolving Libya’s political deadlock, stating that the plan incorporated input from national politicians, local representatives, technocratic figures, and the general public via a survey.

It will be carried out within the following loose framework:

1. Reconstitute the Board of Directors of the High National Election Commission (HNEC) and ensure it is financially independent. This step also includes addressing the legal and constitutional issues surrounding elections, which disrupted the 2021 process. It is expected to be completed within two months.
2. Following the completion of the first step, UNSMIL will work to establish a new national unity government and create the necessary conditions to hold elections. This includes building HNEC’s capabilities, improving security, and advancing reconciliation efforts.
3. In parallel with the second step, UNSMIL will engage in dialogue with members of Libyan civil society and the broader public. These discussions will inform UNSMIL’s negotiations and frameworks with Libya’s political elite.

Tetteh also emphasized during her briefing that she expects delays and resistance from Libyan political actors. She warned that she will ask the Security Council to take action against any actor who attempts to obstruct the process.

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