Tight security as Libyans vote in key municipal elections after unrest

Hundreds of thousands of Libyans are voting Saturday in the second phase of municipal elections, held under tight security after incidents and irregularities forced delays at several stations.

The elections are seen as a test of democracy in a nation still plagued by division and instability after years of unrest following the NATO-backed uprising that toppled longtime leader Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.

Polling took place in around 50 municipalities, including the capital Tripoli, with some stations opening at 9:00 am (0700 GMT) to serve 380,000 registered voters.

A heavy police presence was deployed in the west by the Tripoli-based unity government.

Since Kadhafi’s overthrow, Libya has been split between the UN-recognised government in Tripoli, led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, and its eastern rival, backed by military strongman Khalifa Haftar.

After a first phase in November across 58 cities, the vote was initially scheduled in 63 municipalities – 41 in the west, 13 in the east and nine in the south.

The High National Election Commission (HNEC) had to suspend elections in 11 municipalities, mostly in Haftar-controlled areas, due to “irregularities” including unexplained halts in voter card distribution.

On Saturday, the commission also announced the postponement to August 23 of elections in seven more municipalities, mostly in the west, including four in the Zawiyah area, as well as Surman and Sabratha.

The delays followed Friday arson attacks that destroyed electoral materials in Zawiyah and Sahel al-Gharbi, 45 kilometres (28 miles) from Tripoli.

And on Tuesday, the electoral body said a group of armed men attacked its headquarters in Zliten, some 160 kilometres east of Tripoli.

It made no mention of any casualties, although the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said there were some injuries.

“These attacks, on the eve of polling day, threaten the conduct of the ongoing municipal elections and the broader democratic aspirations of the Libyan people,” UNSMIL said.

“Such criminal acts represent another grave assault on the electoral process and a blatant attempt to disenfranchise citizens, undermine their right to choose their representatives, and obstruct the democratic process,” the mission added.

For Tripoli resident Esraa Abdelmomen, 36, a mother of three, the municipal elections were “very important” because they determine who would manage the government-allocated funds.

Following Kadhafi’s fall in 2011, Libya held its first free elections in 2012 to select 200 members of the General National Congress.

That was followed by nationwide municipal elections in 2013 and legislative polls in June 2014, which were marred by renewed violence and very low turnout.

In some western municipalities, residents are voting in a local election for the first time since 2014.