TRIPOLI: Hundreds of thousands of Libyans were voting on Saturday in municipal elections held under tight security after incidents at several polling stations forced delays.

The elections are seen as a test of democracy in a nation still plagued by division and instability after years of unrest following the Nato-backed uprising that toppled longtime leader Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.

Polling took place in around 50 municipalities, including the capital Tripoli. A heavy police presence was deployed by the Tripoli-based unity government.

“Voting today in Tripoli is crucial for me because it makes me feel useful,” said Sami el-Tajuri, a 62-year-old architect, adding that his three children are voting for the first time.

“It’s frustrating to see that I can have my say in who will represent me but so many other Libyans, especially in the east, cannot”.

Halts in voter card distribution

Since Qadhafi’s overthrow, Libya has been split between the UN-recognised government in Tripoli, led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, and its eastern rival, backed by military strongman Khalifa Haftar. Elections were initially scheduled in 63 municipalities — 41 in the west, 13 in the east and nine in the south.

But the High National Election Commission (HNEC) suspended elections in 11 municipalities, mostly in Haftar-controlled areas, due to “irregularities”, including unexplained halts in voter card distribution.

On Saturday, the commission announced the postponement to August 23 of elections in seven more municipalities, mostly in the west, including four in the Zawiyah area, as well as Surman and Sabratha.

The delays followed Friday arson attacks that destroyed electoral materials in Zawiyah and Sahel al-Gharbi. And on Tuesday, the electoral body said a group of armed men attacked its headquarters in Zliten, some 160 kilometres (100 miles) east of Tripoli.

It made no mention of any casualties, although the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said there were some injuries.

“These attacks, on the eve of polling day, threaten the conduct of the ongoing municipal elections and the broader democratic aspirations of the Libyan people,” UNSMIL said.

“Such criminal acts represent another grave assault on the electoral process and a blatant attempt to disenfranchise citizens, undermine their right to choose their representatives, and obstruct the democratic process,” the mission added.

For Tripoli resident Esraa Abdelmomen, 36, a mother of three, the municipal elections were “very important” because they determine who would manage government-allocated funds.

After Qadhafi’s overthrow, Libya held its first freely contested elections in 2012 for the 200 members of the General National Congress. That was followed by nationwide municipal elections in 2013 and legislative polls in June 2014, which were marred by renewed violence and very low turnout.

In some western municipalities, residents are voting in a local election for the first time since 2014.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2025