Political and Institutional Division and Its Impact on State-Building in Libya During the Period (2015–2025)

Abstract

This study examined the impact of political and institutional division in Libya during the period 2015–2025 on internal stability and prospects for state-building, focusing on the institutional performance of executive, oversight, and security agencies and its reflection on political legitimacy and policy effectiveness. The study was based on the hypothesis that the division in centers of power and legal authorities weakened the state's ability to exercise its sovereign functions and contributed to the politicization of institutions, turning them into tools in the political conflict instead of performing their professional roles. The study adopted a descriptive analytical approach, supported by a case study of regulatory agencies and some security institutions, through the analysis of official documents, international reports, and legislation issued by competing authorities, in addition to tracking patterns of institutional practice under dual legitimacy. The results showed that the division was not limited to the political level, but extended to the administrative and regulatory structure, leading to conflicting decisions, weak coordination, dysfunctional accountability mechanisms, and declining public confidence in state institutions. The study concluded that the continuing institutional division represents a structural obstacle to achieving stability and state-building, and that any political path that is not accompanied by effective institutional unification and comprehensive administrative and security reform will remain limited in impact and susceptible to reversal.