Libya's election date was set for July 7, on Sunday said Nouri al-Abbar, Chairman of the Electoral Commission, citing "technical and logistics" reasons for delaying the historic vote. Mr. Abbar has also mentioned the delay in the adoption of laws organizing the elections, extending the deadline for voter registration and the appeals process for rejected applications.
According to the constitutional declaration adopted by the Transitional National Council (TNC), in power since the fall of the regime of Muammar Gaddafi, the elections should have taken place before June 19, or 240 days after the announcement of the country's liberation from the Gaddafi regime, i.e. October 20, 2011.
More than 2.7 million voters have registered for the poll, a rate estimated at 80% out of Libya's total population of six million inhabitants, including 3.4 million potential voters, according to Election Commission.
The 200 members of the Assembly to be elected shall appoint a committee of experts to draft a Constitution which will be submitted to referendum. A total of 120 seats is reserved for independent candidates, and political movements will compete for the remaining 80.
According to the Commission, some 4000 independent candidates on lists of political movements, have submitted applications. Dozens of parties have emerged in recent months in preparation for this election.
Since the beginning of the Arab Spring, elections have mostly benefited the Islamists. The same outcome is expected in Libya.
