Tetteh: I have no doubt that the path towards implementing the roadmap will be full of challenges.

New York, August 22, 2025 (LANA) - The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya, Hanna Tetteh, affirmed her conviction that the political process must focus on ensuring the holding of general elections and the unification of institutions through a sequential approach. This is based on the recommendations of the Advisory Committee and the feedback the mission received from the Libyan people, as well as the lessons learned from the failure of previous efforts to hold elections in 2021. During her briefing to the UN Security Council on Thursday night, Tetteh explained that the clear message conveyed to the mission through extensive consultations across the country on the findings of the Advisory Committee, meetings with municipal authorities, meetings with a wide range of stakeholders, and an online survey was a sense of frustration with the political developments of the past few years, a desire to halt the cycle of recurring transitions, preserve and strengthen the unity of the country and its institutions, renew legitimacy through presidential and legislative elections, end the frequently cited foreign interference, and demand a stronger voice through the political process to achieve responsible governance based on a permanent constitution. Tetteh presented a proposed roadmap to the Security Council based on three main pillars: the implementation of a technically sound and politically viable electoral framework aimed at holding presidential and legislative elections; the unification of institutions through a new, unified government; and a structured dialogue that allows for broad Libyan participation to address critical issues that must be addressed to create a conducive environment for elections, formulate a shared vision, and address the long-standing drivers of conflict, while supporting short-term efforts to unify institutions and strengthen good governance in key sectors. Tetteh explained that the proposed plan will be implemented gradually and as a single package, with a focus on a sequential process with key phases, each step facilitating the successful implementation of the roadmap for organizing national elections. She noted that she will not set hypothetical timelines, but believes that the overall timeframe required to successfully complete the roadmap leading to national elections ranges between 12 and 18 months, depending on the following sequential steps:

Tetteh identified the steps required to implement the roadmap, which are: (Strengthening the capacity of the High National Elections Commission by restructuring its board of directors to fill current vacant positions and ensuring its financial independence to organize the elections. In parallel, the legal and constitutional frameworks for holding legislative and presidential elections will be amended to address key issues that will facilitate the conduct of the two electoral processes and address the problems that contributed to the failure to hold the 2021 elections.)

She added, "After these two preliminary steps, which could be completed within the next two months at the latest if the political will exists to do so, there should be agreement on a new unified government capable of creating a conducive environment for credible elections while effectively managing key governance functions. This will be accompanied by the implementation of decisive measures to support the operational readiness of the High National Elections Commission and address key issues related to security, good governance, economic management, and reconciliation to facilitate the holding of elections. This will allow for monitoring the progress made by the parties and institutions, including the Commission and the security institutions."

According to the roadmap, the UN mission will organize a structured dialogue in parallel, with the participation of political and security actors, civil society, academia, cultural components, women, youth, persons with disabilities, and representatives of governance institutions. The dialogue aims to explore concrete solutions to ongoing governance challenges and issues that could hinder the electoral process, establish the foundations for a national vision that constitutes a path towards long-term stability, and come up with recommendations for formulating immediate political changes in the security sector, economic reforms, and reconciliation, and contribute to the constitutional process regarding Regarding the governance issues identified by Libyans during ongoing consultations as critical and long overdue, Tetteh noted that safeguards will be incorporated into the roadmap to enable alternatives to be explored if the parties attempt to delay progress. She noted the obstruction of the municipal elections, which she said poses a risk that parties to the status quo may seize any opportunity to delay or obstruct the realization of the democratic rights of the Libyan people. She added that if any obstruction occurs at any stage of this process by any party, UNSMIL can take any necessary measures and will seek the support of this Council to ensure that this process, which we are working to implement, can conclude the successive transitional phases.

In her briefing, Tetteh stated that she agreed with the Advisory Committee's assessment that the current electoral and constitutional framework requires limited but substantive amendments by the House of Representatives, in consultation with the High Council of State, in accordance with the procedures stipulated in the Libyan Political Agreement.

In her briefing, the UN envoy explained that through public outreach, face-to-face meetings, online participation, and opinion polls, many Libyans urged UNSMIL to adopt the fourth option in the Advisory Commission's report, which essentially bypasses existing institutions and calls for the formation of a new Constituent Assembly. This is an expression of anger, frustration, and distrust in the desire of their leaders and institutions to end the successive crises in Libya, resulting from eleven years of a lack of national elections that hold political office holders accountable to the Libyan people by giving them the opportunity to vote and tangibly express their assessment of their performance.

Nevertheless, she said, what I am proposing is that working with these institutions, while recognizing their fragile state, is the fastest possible path to holding elections and holding them accountable to the Libyan people. The structured dialogue we are proposing will provide an opportunity to bring the Libyan people back to the heart of this process. We will also continue our outreach efforts throughout the entire process to keep Libyans engaged and informed of ongoing developments and the challenges we face.

Tetteh concluded her briefing on the roadmap by saying, "I have no doubt that the path to implementing the roadmap will be challenging, and we will need the unwavering support of this Council and other key external actors to contain the obstructionists and protect the process in order to avoid the mistakes of the past. The international community has a crucial role to play in helping the parties engage constructively to make the necessary concessions for the benefit of the Libyan people. In the coming period, I will continue to work with the members of the International Follow-Up Committee on Libya, also known as the Berlin Process, which remains an effective framework for international support to the political process."

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