(Reuters) - United Nations Libya envoy Abdoulaye Bathily said on Tuesday that "a unified government, agreed upon by the major players, is an imperative for leading the country to elections", an apparent shift from an earlier position that elections should come first. Libya's internationally recognised Government of National Unity (GNU) in Tripoli has not been accepted by the eastern-based parliament since early 2021 after a failed attempt to have national elections. The earth is shaking beneath his feet," said Libya specialist Jalel Harchaoui of the Royal United Services Institution in London. Libya has had little peace or security since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising and it split in 2014 between warring eastern and western factions. Besides Menfi, he named House of Representatives speaker Aguila Saleh, GNU Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah and eastern commander Khalifa Haftar.
