Libya's Presidency Council called on authorities to hold next month's presidential and parliamentary elections simultaneously.
In a statement, the council called for taking all measures to ensure a "comprehensive elections process" with a view to building confidence among the parties and ensuring "transparency and fairness of the polls."
The statement also underlined the importance of international efforts to secure and monitor the electoral process.
The council's call comes amid differences and disagreements on electoral laws between parliament, the High Council of State and the unity government.
On Friday, participants in an international conference in Paris on Libya threatened sanctions against parties seeking to obstruct or undermine political transition in Libya.
Libya's transitional Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Mohammed Dbeibah said at a news conference that participants in the conference agreed to sanction those who refuse to accept the results of the elections.
Libya's presidential and parliamentary elections are set to take place on Dec. 24 under an U.N.-sponsored agreement reached by Libyan political rivals during meetings in Tunisia on Nov. 15, 2020.
Libyans hope that the upcoming elections will contribute to ending an armed conflict that has plagued the oil-rich country for years.
Libya's first-ever direct upcoming presidential poll is the culmination of the peace process initiated last year by the United Nations to draw a line against years of violence since the revolt that toppled dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.
Despite a year of relative peace following a cease-fire between the eastern and western camps, the wrangling over the legal basis for the elections threatens to derail the peace process. This has sparked fears of a return to violence in the event of a contested result.
Registration for presidential election candidates will be open until Nov. 22 and for parliamentary candidates until Dec. 7 at High National Election Commission (HNEC) offices in the three main cities in Libya's west, east and south.
More than 2.8 million of Libya's 7 million residents have registered to vote.
"Everyone is worried about respect for the election results," Anas el-Gomati, director of Libya-based think tank the Sadeq Institute, told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
He cited perceived "fragile military conditions on the ground and lack of preparation to organize free and fair elections in a state divided between rival military factions."
Potential candidates include putschist Gen. Khalifa Haftar, the commander of eastern-based forces in the civil war, and Gadhafi's son Saif al-Islam Gadhafi; both are considered deeply divisive figures.
Former Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha has confirmed that he will contest, including diplomats Aref al-Nayed and Ibrahim Dabbachi, and comedian Hatem al-Kour.
