Elections take place successfully

In the News | 09-07-2012

On 7 July Libya held nationwide elections for the General National Congress (GNC), the body that will appoint a new government.

Although the historic poll was marred by a number of incidents, including the burning of ballot papers in Benghazi by demonstrators and the forced closure of some polling stations in south-east Libya, the election passed off largely peacefully and was considered to be a success.

The High National Election Commission (HNEC), the agency responsible for organising the poll, said on Sunday afternoon that some 1.7 million voters had cast ballots, equivalent to around 63% of the registered electorate.

Results from individual districts are expected to start coming in from 9 July, with the full breakdown thought to be available by the end of the week. Once the 200-seat body is established, it has 30 days in which to name a Prime Minister and in turn to form a government.

Just prior to the vote, the National Transitional Council (NTC), the unelected body which has nominally overseen Libya’s transition since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime last August, unexpectedly amended the way that a 60-person panel, tasked with drafting a new constitution, would be formed.

The panel was originally intended to be appointed by the GNC itself, but a separate election will now be held to decide its members. The change appeared to be a concession to protesters in north-east Libya, who are demanding greater recognition for the region.

Armed protesters in the north-east also forced a temporary shutdown of several oil export terminals during the election weekend. On 6 July, operations were halted at the Ras Lanuf, Es-Sider and Brega terminals, which represent around half of Libya’s crude export capacity.

The blockage also caused oil output to fall by around 300,000 barrels per day (bpd), according to the National Oil Corporation (NOC), which said on Sunday that the situation had returned to normal and ships were docking and loading in the ports.

Written by: Libya Report