‘Libya incapable of holding elections’

Libya is not ready to hold free and fair elections, campaign group Human Rights Watch (HRW) has warned. The country’s rival authorities are planning to hold parliamentary and presidential elections later this year, but no date has been set.

The United Nations and the European Union support the upcoming vote. But HRW worries “voters, candidates, and political parties” are at risk of “coercion, discrimination, and intimidation” if the ballot goes ahead.

The US-based rights group thinks the conditions needed for free and fair elections will be hard to meet in the North African state, which was thrown into chaos following the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.