The Libyan presidential election -previously set for December 24 - will be postponed by more than four months, an informed Libyan source told Sputnik Tuesday.

"The elections will not be held on December 24. The Presidential Council will come up with an initiative to change the election dates within a few days. They can be postponed by 4-6 months, and even 8 months," the source said. 

According to the source, the relevant authorities will make an official announcement in the coming days, noting that the Presidential Council will propose that the National Unity Government continue to operate.

UN discusses election uncertainty

The deputy head of political affairs for the UN Support Mission in Libya, Stephanie Williams, is engaging with Libya's political parties over election uncertainty, UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq reported Tuesday.

"Obviously, the date of the elections is three days from today, so you are as good of a judge as I am on how likely it is that everything can be done in the next 72 hours. Having said that, Stephanie Williams is in touch with different Libyan parties," Haq told a press briefing.

Armed assailants had seized Thursday the Libyan National Unity Government and Defense Ministry buildings in Libya's capital, demanding the postponement of the December 24th election.

The High Council of State in Libya had previously called for postponing the December 24 presidential elections until February, amid growing differences over the rules and legal basis for voting aimed at ending the 10-year instability.

The statements of the High Council, an advisory body established under the Libyan political agreement of 2015 and not recognized by all political entities in the country, came less than three weeks before the elections.

Debate rages on the extent of the powers of the High Council of State in the complex Libyan political arena, but the HC's statement raises the doubts surrounding the conduct of the elections.