Voter registration in Libya ended yesterday February 15, as the country’s electoral commission makes a last public appeal for people to sign up, according to the BCC. No date has been set for an election in the country yet, but there have been calls for one to be held by the end of the year.
The Election Commission says over 2.3 million people have registered so far. Voter registration in Libya is seen as a first step towards eventually holding an election. But there are still some political, military and legal obstacles for any nationwide vote, including the adoption of a new constitution and electoral laws.
A supreme court in Libya blocked all legal challenges against a draft constitution on Wednesday which could allow a long-stalled referendum to be held on it. Libya’s speaker of Parliament reportedly said that lawmakers would issue a new election law after the adoption of a constitution.
The international community has been pushing the country’s divided political actors to work towards a legislative and presidential election this year.
However, few believe it can be held without a legal framework and enough assurances from the country’s bitterly divided armed groups to accept any election result.
