Two women have joined the race to become Libya's next president, in a field of 98 candidates including prominent political figures, the country’s electoral commission said on Tuesday.
Registrations closed late on Monday.
UN special envoy Jan Kubis praised the process and urged rival factions to ensure the vote goes ahead as planned next month.
As part of the UN-backed peace process, presidential and parliamentary elections are set to be held on December 24, but there has been no broad agreement on the law to govern the vote.
The leader of the National Movement Party in Libya, Laila Ben Khalifa, registered as a candidate. Hunaida Al Mahdi who is a researcher in social sciences, is the other woman vying to be president.
Among the prominent candidates are Aguila Saleh, Speaker of the eastern-based parliament, the eastern military commander Khalifa Haftar, who led fighting against the government in Tripoli, Saif Al Islam Qaddafi, son of former dictator Muammar Qaddafi, Fathi Bashagha, a former interior minister with the western-based government and former prime minister Ali Zeidan.
Disputes between rival factions and political entities have centred on who should be allowed to enter the race, meaning that even with just weeks to go there is no clarity on whether the poll will actually take place. Other challenges facing the long-awaited vote include infighting among armed groups and the presence of thousands of foreign fighters and troops.
Since 2011, the country has been plagued by unrest following the uprising, with Nato support, that toppled Muammar Qaddafi. For years, Libya has been split between rival administrations in the country's east and west.
“Ninety-eight presidential candidates have officially been registered,” said Libya’s electoral commission when the sign-up period ended.
The electoral body said it would announce the final tally of registered candidates who have been accepted to run later on Tuesday.
Out of the 98 candidates, 73 registered at the centre in the capital of Tripoli, 12 registered in Benghazi and 13 registered in Sabha, it said.
More than 2.8 million of Libya's seven million population have registered to vote.
Meanwhile, more than 1,000 candidates have submitted their nominations for the parliamentary elections, said the commission.
But many observers gave warnings that some candidates may pull out closer to the time due to agreements made to secure other public offices, or seats in parliament.
Mr Kubis stressed the importance of holding the elections as planned, calling on all Libyans to vote and accept the results.
The UN envoy's message came during a meeting with the vice-president of the Libyan Presidential Council, Abdullah Al Lafi, on Monday.
“Libya's current situation is very sensitive,” he said. He added that the judiciary will look into possible objections against any candidates.
Mr Kubis said he would convey different views and observations regarding the elections to the Security Council in his briefing on Wednesday.
The head of the High National Election Commission expressed optimism about the turnout in the elections.
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
The specs: 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor
Price, base / as tested Dh220,000 / Dh320,000
Engine 3.5L V6
Transmission 10-speed automatic
Power 421hp @ 6,000rpm
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THE DRAFT
The final phase of player recruitment for the T10 League has taken place, with UAE and Indian players being drafted to each of the eight teams.
Bengal Tigers
UAE players: Chirag Suri, Mohammed Usman
Indian: Zaheer Khan
Karachians
UAE players: Ahmed Raza, Ghulam Shabber
Indian: Pravin Tambe
Kerala Kings
UAE players: Mohammed Naveed, Abdul Shakoor
Indian: RS Sodhi
Maratha Arabians
UAE players: Zahoor Khan, Amir Hayat
Indian: S Badrinath
Northern Warriors
UAE players: Imran Haider, Rahul Bhatia
Indian: Amitoze Singh
Pakhtoons
UAE players: Hafiz Kaleem, Sheer Walli
Indian: RP Singh
Punjabi Legends
UAE players: Shaiman Anwar, Sandy Singh
Indian: Praveen Kumar
Rajputs
UAE players: Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed
Indian: Munaf Patel
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TV: World Cup Qualifier 2018 matches will be aired on on OSN Sports HD Cricket channel
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Lexus LX700h specs
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Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
