Madar (Tripoli) - Libyan Presidential Council head Mohamed al-Menfi has said there are no real obstacles to holding parliamentary and presidential elections in Libya, and that the role of the UN Support Mission in Libya should be limited to following and facilitating the political process, in an exclusive interview aired on Sunday, 8 November 2026 by Egypt's Al-Qahera News channel, according to several Egyptian newspapers including Al-Masry Al-Youm, Sada El Balad and El Watan.
According to the same sources, Menfi said the electoral process requires an electoral commission and the completion of a set of procedures, adding that there is consensus on the electoral laws and that the current stage calls for moving onto the electoral track. Some political discussions and executive steps may still be needed, he said, but they do not amount to real obstacles.
He called for simultaneous parliamentary and presidential elections to end the political division and unify state institutions, warning that any solution not based on the participation of the Libyan people could send the crisis back to square one.
On the UN mission, Menfi said its role had at times gone beyond following and facilitating, stressing that any UN or regional action must respect Libyan sovereignty, guarantee Libyan ownership of the political solution and respect the country's legitimate institutions. He said the Presidential Council had put forward proposals for referendums and consultations to reach a political settlement involving Libyans.
Menfi described the Presidential Council as the only undivided authority in Libya, able to engage with all parties to reach a settlement ending the division.
On relations with Egypt, he said they rest on historical and strategic ties and shared national security considerations, calling the presence of Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in Tripoli and the reopening of Egypt's embassy important steps, as Madar reported on 7 November. He said he expected cooperation between the two countries to expand in the economy, security, health, education, oil and energy.
