Libya’s High National Elections Commission (HNEC) issued a decision approving the electoral campaign list for the Presidential, and Libyan Parliament elections.
HNEC pointed out that the regulation includes 31 articles explaining the “procedures, rules, and controls regulating the electoral campaigns of candidates” for the upcoming elections, in accordance with the electoral laws.
Notably, HNEC issued its cumulative daily report on the process of registering candidates for the Parliamentary elections. HNEC revealed that 2,757 candidates have registered, according to the latest statistics update on Sunday.
The third electoral district, Benghazi and its suburbs came at the top of the list with 537 candidates. The twelfth electoral district, Al-Aziziyah and its suburbs, came at the bottom of the list with 104 candidates.
The registration deadline is set for 7 December, with candidates competing for 200 seats. This includes 33 seats reserved for women.
Over 2.8 million of Libya’s seven million residents have registered to vote. Both Presidential and Parliamentary elections were slated for 24 December, but in early October the Libyan Parliament postponed the legislative elections until January.
Head of HNEC, Emad Al-Din Al-Sayeh previously announced the adoption of new measures to prevent fraud in the upcoming national elections. “It is a huge logistical operation, even more complicated than updating the voter registration system, as it is a sensitive and accurate process. The entire electoral process depends on it,” he explained.
Earlier in November, HNEC opened the registration process for the December elections. These are seen as a step toward normalcy after nearly ten years of war in the country.
25 candidates, including Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi, have been barred from the planned Presidential elections. In a statement, the commission said that Saif Al-Islam was ineligible to run, compounding the turmoil surrounding the vote.