GNV News, August 20, 2025

On August 16, 2025, local council elections were held in 26 municipalities in Libya. In Libya, local council elections were also held in November 2024 for 58 municipalities, and the current elections were initially set to cover 63 municipalities. However, due to acts of interference with the elections, including the burning of voting materials in arson attacks, the elections were ultimately held in only 26 municipalities, and in the remaining municipalities they were postponed.

Since 2011, after the democratization movement known as the “Arab Spring” and the subsequent military intervention by anti-government forces and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization（NATO） that led to the overthrow of then-leader Muammar Gaddafi, political and military confrontation has continued. As of 2025, there are 2 rival governments in a state of confrontation: the Government of National Unity (GNU) in the western capital, Tripoli, and the Government of National Stability (GNS), backed by the House of Representatives (HOR) based in the eastern city of Tobruk and the Libyan National Army（LNA）. In this context, it was reported that Abdul Hamid Mohammed Dbeibah, the prime minister of the GNU, praised the holding of elections at the local level as “an important step to build the desired democratic state.”

In addition, according to survey results published in August 2025 by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), of approximately 22,500 respondents, more than 42% responded that “holding presidential and parliamentary elections simultaneously as soon as possible” is the best way to break the current stalemate. However, although presidential and parliamentary elections had been scheduled for December 2021, disputes over the electoral law and the eligibility of some candidates led to their postponement. As of August 2025, they still have not been held.

Learn more about Libya’s political situation → “Libya: Prolonged Political Confrontation”

Learn more about the history of Libya’s politics → “Libya: A Long Road to Peace”

Flag of Libya (Photo: BBC World Service / Flickr [CC BY-NC 2.0])