Voter registration deadline extended

In the News | 13-05-2012

Libya's Higher National Election Commission (HNEC) has extended the deadline for voter registration, which was due to expire on 14 May, for a further week.  The constituent assembly elections are due to be held nationwide on 19 June.

The HNEC said that slightly over 1.5 million people had so far registered, equivalent to around 44% of the estimated 3.4 million electorate in Libya. The Commission said that women made up some 38% of those who had registered.

It also reported that some 1,440 independent candidates and 71 political parties had registered to run in the elections. Only 80 out of the 200 seats in the new assembly are set aside for political parties, with the remainder reserved for independents.

Libya's post-revolutionary political transition is similar to that followed by neighbouring Tunisia, with an elected constituent assembly tasked with drafting a new constitution ahead of legislative and, potentially, presidential elections after that. 

Written by: Libya Report