Libya's UN-backed government said on Tuesday that the date of the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections is decided by the Libyans only.

"The elections, their course and date, are a matter for the Libyans alone, which Chairman of the Presidential Council of Libya Fayez Serraj has confirmed," government spokesman Mohamed al-Sallak told a press conference in the capital Tripoli.

Serraj, prime minister of the UN-backed Libyan government, stressed that "all concerned parties, especially those who participated in the Paris Declaration, must assume their responsibility and abide by their duties," al-Sallak said.

Italian Ambassador to Libya Giuseppe Perrone said earlier this week that holding elections in Libya before the end of this year is not possible as Rome does not advocate it, sparking resentment and protests in some Libyan cities.

Also, a number of Libyan officials denounced Perrone's statement as "blatant interference in the internal affairs of the country."

France in May hosted a meeting on Libya with the participation of different Libyan parties to end the political crisis.

The parties agreed to commit themselves to holding "credible" presidential and parliamentary elections slated for Dec. 10.

Despite a UN-sponsored political agreement signed in December 2015, Libya remains politically divided between rival governments in the east and west of the country, both competing for legitimacy.