Libyan Presidential Council head Mohamed al-Menfi and High Council of State chief Mohamed Takala discussed Sunday efforts to reach a national political settlement paving the way for elections.

In a statement, the Presidential Council said the meeting addressed political developments and efforts to create conditions for resuming the political process, reaching a comprehensive national settlement and moving toward elections.

Both sides stressed the need to safeguard the judiciary and its independence and shield it from “any interference or political alignments,” the statement said.

They described the judiciary as a constitutional pillar of state stability and a safeguard for the rule of law, rights and freedoms.

The two leaders also emphasized the importance of maintaining the unity and independence of sovereign institutions and respecting their legally defined mandates and powers to prevent competing decision-making or their use in political disputes.

On Wednesday, Libya’s 4+4 dialogue committee agreed to broaden consultations with the various components of the judiciary, seeking to unify it and ensure its role in supporting presidential and parliamentary elections.

The committee has held UN-sponsored talks since April 2026 to break the country’s political deadlock and advance the UN roadmap, particularly on elections and the unification of executive authority.

On Aug. 30, the committee reached an agreement to reconstitute the board of the High National Elections Commission and set a timetable for presidential and parliamentary elections within no more than 24 months, under a single executive authority and unified national institutions.

The committee comprises four representatives of the Government of National Unity and four from the general command of forces in the country’s east. Its UN-sponsored discussions seek to overcome the political impasse and establish the arrangements needed to hold elections.