Libya’s presidential and parliamentary elections should be held within 24 months under a unified executive authority and national institutions, a government minister said on Sunday, after rival political factions signed a deal aimed at breaking a years-long electoral deadlock.

Walid Ellafi, state minister for political affairs and communications in the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity, said the elections should take place “within a period not exceeding 24 months”.

Representatives of Libya’s rival political factions signed the agreement on Sunday at the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) headquarters in Tripoli, committing to work towards elections within two years and resolve disputes over electoral laws and reform of the national elections body.

The agreement followed talks under a format known as the 4+4, involving two representatives from each of Libya’s four main institutions: the Government of National Unity, the High Council of State, the House of Representatives and the Libyan National Army.

Shibani AbuHamoud, head of the army’s general command, said the 4+4 would work with UNSMIL to develop within a month a framework for monitoring implementation of the agreement.

Under the deal, if the House of Representatives and High Council of State fail to approve it within a month, the parties will seek to adopt it as a constitutional document through broader national mechanisms and secure international backing through the U.N. Security Council.