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Libyans head to the polls to elect their new parliament

June 25, 2014 at 2:24 pm

Libyan voters head to the polls today to elect a new parliament in elections that officials hope will end the ongoing chaos gripping the country since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi three years ago.

In another step in the transition to a democratic Libya after decades of autocracy, elections will be held while member countries of OPEC slip deeper into turmoil following the attempted coup of its leader, a retired brigadier.

Many Libyans fear that the elections will produce another interim parliamentary assembly and a special committee to draft a new constitution for the country’s operation will not be formed.

The opening of polling stations in Benghazi and other parts in the east of the country may pose a challenge to the almost daily clashes between the forces of retired Major General Khalifa Haftar and military groups.

The Libyan Foreign Minister Mohammed Abdel-Aziz reiterated the “design” of his country to organise legislative elections today, despite the security unrest and political instability.

The minister said: “We look forward to a new parliament to replace the current National Conference.”

Many observers expect the turnout to be lower than they were in 2012. Approximately 1.5 million voters took part in the July 2012 elections, which were the first free elections in Libya in more than 40 years.

The authorities have tightened electoral registration rules that compelled voters to show national ID cards to identify them. Many Libyans do not have such documents because of security concerns and political chaos blocking essential state services.

The new parliament will consist of 200 seats; it will be known as the House of Representatives and will replace the National Conference, which many Libyans see as bearing responsibility for the state the country has reached.

Thirty-two seats in the new parliament have been allocated for women. Around 1,600 candidates are competing in the elections, approximately a thousand less that the number of candidates in the previous parliamentary elections. Some of the candidates have set up banners in the streets or published their programmes on their social networking sites, but considering the short period given since the announcement of the elections, there has been no real electoral campaign.

The Berber community is boycotting the elections. They are demanding a greater role in the formulation of the commission, which holds the new constitution.

A board member of the Electoral Commission of Libya, Abdul Hakim Al-Shaab, said: “The electoral process employs about 28,000 employees, since eight o’clock in the morning until eight o’clock in the evening local time, in accordance with the Law on Election of the House of Representatives.”

He pointed out that “the Commission has adopted about 16,000 local and international observers and journalists, as well as agents for the candidates.”