Audio By Carbonatix
Libyans are voting in their first free election for more than 50 years.
They are selecting a temporary assembly which will have the task of picking a cabinet and a prime minister.
But the vote has been overshadowed by violence and deep regional divisions. An electoral worker died on the eve of the vote when gunmen attacked a helicopter near Benghazi.
Many people in eastern Libya are concerned that the oil-rich area will be under-represented in the assembly.
The region has been allotted only 60 seats in the 200-seat assembly.
Under the system devised by the outgoing National Transitional Council (NTC), which led the campaign against Gaddafi, 100 seats are allocated to the west and 40 to the south.
The BBC's Rana Jawad in Tripoli says some in the east fear being marginalised as they were for decades under Col Muammar Gaddafi's 42-year rule.
As many as five oil terminals have been shut down by former rebels, including those at Brega, Ras Lanouf and Sidra, and a significant part of Libya's oil exporting capacity has been disrupted.
Ballot papers were set alight at a key election office in Ajdabiya and another election centre was attacked in Benghazi.
In an attempt to defuse the situation, the NTC has said the new parliament will no longer be responsible for naming the panel that will draft Libya's new constitution.
The 60-member committee will be elected in a separate vote at a later date.
A Libyan army spokesman said the helicopter was transporting voting materials when it was attacked close to the airport in Benghazi. An election commission worker was fatally wounded, he said, but the helicopter managed to land safely.
An election commission member in Tripoli told the BBC that the identity of the gunmen was not yet known but that the attack would not affect the vote.
The poll has already been postponed once before.
Around 2.9 million people are eligible to vote for the 3,700 candidates standing for the new General National Congress, in Libya's first national vote since Col Gaddafi was toppled in October 2011 after an eight-month uprising.
There are countless political parties taking part in the election, our correspondent says, but the biggest to emerge so far is the Justice and Construction Party, made up mostly of Muslim Brotherhood members.
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Tags:
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Latest Stories
-
“Ghana has moved from ICU to wellness center” — Finance Minister declares economic recovery
4 minutes -
Ato Forson highlights “turning point” in economic recovery strategy
7 minutes -
NACSA Seminar: Gender Minister demands an increased role for women to end gun violence
13 minutes -
Full text: Statement on Ghana’s new engagement with IMF
20 minutes -
US trade mission to visit Ghana
57 minutes -
Tempane: Three suspects arrested over deadly Worinyanga attacksÂ
58 minutes -
EU fines Temu €200m for allowing sale of illegal products
59 minutes -
Portugal breaks hottest May day record as Europe swelters in heatwave
59 minutes -
KetaFC celebrates “vindication” after Volta RFA Middle League controversy
60 minutes -
Professor Joseph Ofori-Dankwa receives 2026 Lifetime Leadership Impact Award
1 hour -
United Pension Trustees advocates menstrual hygiene awareness and support for girls in Juaben
1 hour -
The age when the body starts ageing faster
1 hour -
Controversial Volta RFA verdict triggers calls for GFA intervention
1 hour -
AIMS Ghana, University of Waterloo lead push for stronger mathematics education at HTTMC 2026
1 hour -
NADMO dismisses claims residents were not warned before Weija Dam spillage
3 hours