Five days of voting for Libyans in the UAE

Libyan expatriates in the country may begin casting their votes on July 3.

DUBAI // Voting for the Libyan National General Congress will begin in the UAE on July 3.

Libyans in the country will not need to register, but they should go to the consulate in Dubai with ID and any proof of Libyan nationality to vote, said Majda Annaihum, the national adviser for organising elections in Dubai, and a member of the International Organisation for Migration.

She added that Libyans - there are estimated to be almost 2,000 in the UAE - do not need to be residents in order to vote.

Libyans will be able to elect the 200 members of the General Congress by voting from a list of 2,639 candidates and choose from 374 political parties.

Of the individual candidates, 120 will be elected based on a majority vote, and 80 political parities to form the 200 members. Voters will vote based on sub-constituencies.

"These are the first elections in Libya after the 42-year-long Qaddafi rule and it is very important for all Libyans to exercise their right to vote and elect the people to represent them," Ms Annaihum said.

The elected congress will put together the country's constitution.

Ms Annaihum said preparations were already under way in the six countries where Libyans abroad will be able to vote. "We are confident that we are going to have a very successful process," she said.

Voting for Libyans abroad will run for five days from 9am until 6pm, with the final day on July 7, the day of the election in Libya.

Elections were originally set for June 19, but were postponed by the high national election commission so they could go through candidates' appeals and finalise the list.

The final list of candidates is available on the HNEC website, at www.hnec.ly.