MISRATA, LIBYA — The streets of Misrata erupted in defiance this Tuesday, April 28, 2026 as hundreds of protesters gathered outside the City Council, coinciding with a high-stakes visit from UN Special Representative Hanna Tetteh. The demonstration marks a boiling point in local opposition to a controversial power-sharing proposal spearheaded by Massad Boulos, the U.S. President’s Senior Adviser for African and Middle Eastern Affairs.

The core of the unrest centers on a leaked, U.S.-backed roadmap that critics argue prioritizes a top-down executive reshuffle over democratic elections. The controversial proposal aims to install Saddam Haftar, son of eastern commander Khalifa Haftar, as the head of a new Presidential Council while retaining Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah as Prime Minister and Minister of Defense.

A key pillar of the plan involves merging rival parliaments through a unified budget—a strategy that achieved temporary momentum on April 11 but has since triggered intense backlash from Misrata’s influential political and military factions.

UN Envoy Hannah Tetteh arrived in Misrata to facilitate a "mini-dialogue" aimed at finalizing electoral laws. However, her motorcade was met by chants of "Sovereignty, not Settlements." Protesters held banners condemning the Boulos plan as a "foreign imposition" that rewards "warlords" at the expense of the 2015 Skhirate Agreement.

"We will not allow our city's administrative halls to be used as a rubber stamp for a deal made in Washington and Dubai," said one activist leader outside the council gates. "Any path that sidesteps full national elections is dead on arrival in Misrata."

The protest highlights a deepening rift between international diplomats and local grassroots movements. While Boulos and Tetteh emphasized in a recent joint statement their commitment to a "Libyan-led process," the reality on the ground suggests a massive trust deficit.

The Libyan High Council of State has already officially voted to reject the initiative, arguing that it undermines the unity of the state. Meanwhile, the economic pressure of 15% currency devaluation and persistent fuel shortages has left the public with little patience for protracted "transitional" governments.

With the High National Elections Commission originally eyeing April 2026 for presidential polls, the Boulos proposal is seen by many as a "stability-first" alternative that prioritizes oil flow and security over the ballot box. For the people of Misrata, however, the message is clear: there is no stability without legitimacy.