Elections in Libya

The High National Elections Commission, commonly called HNEC or المفوضية الوطنية العليا للانتخابات, plans and administers elections in Libya. Its responsibilities include voter registration, candidate procedures, polling centres, ballot handling, counting, preliminary and final results, and election complaints. The House of Representatives and the High Council of State provide the legislative and constitutional framework and may be required to confirm national arrangements. Courts decide challenges, while UNSMIL can mediate and provide technical support but does not run elections. The national framework remains unsettled. Constitutional Amendment 13 and Laws 27/2023 and 28/2023 address the National Assembly and the Head of State. Disputes concern presidential eligibility, whether presidential and parliamentary elections should occur together or in a defined order, and the composition of the HNEC board. No national election has taken place since the December 2021 process failed. A Smaller Convening Agreement of 30 August 2026 proposes a reconstituted HNEC board, changes to the electoral framework and elections for the President and National Assembly under one executive authority. The House of Representatives and High Council of State would be expected to confirm the arrangement within one month, with a target of holding elections within no more than 24 months. Implementation remains outstanding, HNEC currently has four board members and no fixed national election day has been announced. National voter eligibility is described as requiring Libyan citizenship, legal capacity, an age of at least 18, a National ID number and entry in the voter register, سجل الناخبين. HNEC information refers to registration for both male and female Libyan citizens. Because the national framework remains disputed, municipal rules should not automatically be treated as the final national rules. Municipal elections follow a more established but uneven path. Law 20/2023 transferred their organisation from the executive branch and Ministry of Local Government to HNEC. Decision 43/2023 provides councils with 7, 9 or 11 seats and combines party or list candidates with individual candidates. The 142 electoral districts are distributed as 77 in the west, 37 in the east and 28 in the south. Elections took place in 56 municipalities in 2024. In 2025, Group II covered 34 municipalities with final results, while further Group III elections continued into 2025 and 2026. Coverage is not nationwide: 29 municipalities, particularly in the east and south, initially remained without elections, and some votes were postponed, suspended or repeated. Municipal councils are currently the only democratically legitimate public bodies operating continuously, although their influence on national governance is limited. For a local election, HNEC opens the voter register for a limited period. A voter can usually register by sending an SMS containing the National ID number and polling-centre number to 17017 when the telephone number is linked to that National ID number, or by registering in person through a registration committee. Registered voters in municipalities covered by the process receive a voter card, بطاقة ناخب, from HNEC. A 2021 voter card is not valid for a later municipal election. The card is collected at the registered centre with a passport, family book or identity card and a signed receipt. Voting takes place personally, secretly and directly at the registered centre. Local ballots can include both lists and individual candidates, subject to the applicable HNEC rules. Voters should rely on the current HNEC notice for registration, card collection and polling deadlines; no voter fee is established in the reviewed sources. Local candidates generally need to be at least 25 years old, appear in the final voter register, live in the relevant administrative area and hold a recognised education certificate. A candidate cannot have a non-rehabilitated conviction for an offence against honour or morality and cannot be a member of HNEC or an election commission. A person may stand in only one district and on only one list or as one individual candidate. The listed candidacy fee is LYD 1,000 for an individual or list candidate and LYD 500 for a reserve candidate. Lists also require a name, symbol and authorised representative. HNEC publishes preliminary and final results. Ballot boxes and result forms are handled through the central counting process, while complaints and challenges follow HNEC rules and may lead to judicial decisions. In 2025, HNEC Decision 147 confirmed final results for Group II municipalities and Decision 148 dealt separately with Shwerif. Some results were withheld, annulled or followed by repeat elections because of court decisions or irregularities. In some municipalities, winning candidates were replaced by de facto authorities instead of being allowed to take office. The main election risks in Libya are the divided institutions, the incomplete HNEC board, the absence of an agreed constitutional and legislative framework, competing centres of power, armed actors and regional security problems. Access to information, registration and polling also differs by region. HNEC, local election offices, official notices and the call centre at 1441 provide the practical information for a specific election. Inclusion of women, young people, civil society and people with disabilities is an institutional objective, but equal practical access is not assured.