Libya’s first national election since the toppling of dictator Muammar Gaddafi has been delayed, with the country’s electoral commission citing logistical issues as the reason.
The election for the 200-member Public National Conference was originally set to be held next Tuesday, but should instead be held on 7 July. Once elected, the conference is set to appoint a prime minister, a Cabinet and a constituent authority tasked with drawing up a new constitution. This constitution will be put to a referendum, and a general election would be held within six months if it is approved.
In a press conference, Higher National Election Commission head Nuri al-Abbar explained that the delay was for “purely technical and logical” reasons. He explained that the new date was chosen carefully to ensure that the remaining work is completed in time.
He noted that the “very short time” the commission had been given to prepare the elections was not enough, “especially for a country that has not seen elections for almost half a century”.
A lack of resources appears to be hampering the commission’s efforts: Issues such as lack of staff, lack of security and even lack of telephones have surfaced since it was set up last January.
A voting registration drive kicked off in May, and around 80% of eligible voters put their name down to participate in the election so far. Over 4,000 candidates will be vying for seats, which include 64 constituency seats for independent candidates and 136 seats for party lists.
Party lists are obliged to alternate between male and female candidates to ensure that women will be elected.
The registration process, however, has been far from smooth. In one incident, a voter registration centre in a Tripoli school shut down after a militia group turned up to demand more representation for militiamen.
Moreover, groups which have been accused of being loyal to Col Gaddafi are reporting that they have been finding it difficult to register. These include the residents of Tawergha, who have been displaced from their hometown after it was used by pro-Gaddafi troops assaulting Misurata and who have remained displaced ever since.
Security concerns also persist, as shown by the frequency of clashes taking place across the country, including clashes in the southern city of Kufra that killed at least 16 people last weekend. Fresh violence broke out yesterday, with at least 15 people being killed over the past 48 hours, according to the state news agency, as old grievances between Libyan tribes and cities resurface in the absence of strong leadership in post-revolution Libya.
The violence led the country’s transitional ruler, Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, to appeal to Libyans in a televised speech to lay down their arms and unite before the country’s election next month, when Libyans choose a 200-member assembly to form a government and oversee writing of a new constitution.
The election is supposed to be a milestone on the path to democratic rule after the overthrow last year of Muammar Gaddafi’s dictatorship of four decades, but chaos and tribal conflicts have badly marred the transition.
“Everyone should stand united behind building a state of institutions, law and justice,” Abdul-Jalil said, “to overcome this agony and reach our dream and the dream of all Libyans: Free and fair elections which will be a real beginning in the history of Libya”.
Abdul-Jalil’s appeal is seen as another example of weakness that has plagued the country’s leadership since it declared the liberation of Libya in October after toppling Gaddafi. Since then, Abdul-Jalil has called upon armed militias that fought Gaddafi to integrate under a national army and hand in their weapons, but little has been accomplished.