Obama: Libyan election 'another milestone'
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 8 July 2012 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Obama: Libyan election 'another milestone', 8 July 2012, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5000252fc.html [accessed 29 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
July 08, 2012
U.S. President Barack Obama has congratulated Libya for its first free vote in decades, calling it "another milestone" in the country's transition to democracy.
Turnout for the July 7 poll to elect the 200-seat parliament was 60 percent, according to the Election Commission.
As they did in Egypt and Tunisia, Islamists also hope to rise to power in Libya where they were long repressed under the secular rule of Muammar Qaddafi.
Violence marred voting in the restive east of the country, where one person was reported killed and two wounded.
Some easterners boycotted the election and protesters torched ballot boxes in 14 out of 19 polling centers in the eastern city of Ajdabiya.
The last parliamentary elections in Libya were in 1964, five years before Qaddafi's military coup.
Based on reporting by AP and Reuters
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
