A decade after end of Qaddafi, polls bring new hope
When Libyans go to the polls on December 24, they will take a stride towards drawing a line under a decade of war.
Registration has opened for candidates in the country’s first presidential and second parliamentary election since the 2011 overthrow of dictator Muammar Qaddafi.
But despite a year of relative peace after a ceasefire between eastern and western camps, the process has been overshadowed by wrangling over the legal basis for the votes and powers of whoever wins.
There are fears that a contested result could lead to renewed violence.
“Everyone is worried about respect for the results,” said Anas El Gomati, director of Libyan think tank the Sadeq Institute.
Presidential candidates have until November 22 to register, while parliamentary candidates have until December 7.
Speculation has been mounting over possible presidential bids by Libyan National Army leader Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar and Saif Al Islam Qaddafi, son of the former dictator.
Former interior minister Fathi Bashagha says he will run and an adviser to Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah said he would register.
The opening of candidacies “is the real start of the electoral process”, said Imad Al Sayeh, the head of the electoral commission.
The parliamentary elections were due to be held on the same day as the presidential poll. They have been put back by a month, but foreign powers have been pushing for both to be held on the same date, as agreed at UNled talks last year.
More than 2.8 million of Libya’s seven million people have registered to vote.