Libya: Carter Center Launches Limited Election Observation Mission

[tabatha]

Following an invitation from the High National Elections Commission (HNEC), The Carter Center launched a limited international election observation mission to Libya on Monday, deploying several teams of observers to monitor and report on the upcoming National General Congress elections.

"The Carter Center welcomes the opportunity to observe these historic elections, the first in Libya in almost 50 years," said former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. "We hope that our presence will contribute to a peaceful, transparent, and credible electoral process, and will support Libyans' aspirations to build a strong democracy."

Carter Center observers will monitor the remainder of the electoral process leading up to elections scheduled to take place on July 7, 2012. Their assessment will focus on election preparations, campaigning by political entities and candidates, polling and counting, the tabulation of results, and the resolution of any electoral disputes. They will be joined during the immediate election period by additional teams of short-term observers who will visit polling stations in many parts of the country.


http://allafrica.com/stories/201206271206.html

[Comrade Grumpy]

1. I'm glad the Carter Center people will be there.

They are pretty reliable on election monitoring.

[tabatha]

2. Democracy a learning process as Libya set to vote

TRIPOLI, June 28 (Reuters) - In the small courtyard of a kindergarten in Tripoli, about 20 women gather to hear why they should vote for Majdah al-Fallah in Libya's first elections in almost half a century.

Dressed in a long robe and Islamic headscarf, the 46-year-old doctor introduces herself and her party. But when she opens the floor to discussion, Fallah is bombarded by the most basic questions, not about her policies, but about how elections work.

"What is actually going to happen when we go to the polling station. How many people do we vote for?" one woman asks.

What will the elected assembly do, others ask, and what is the role of political parties in government. Though she is running for the formidable Muslim Brotherhood, there are no flashy campaign managers mapping Fallah's every step, no loudspeakers, microphones, balloons or streamers.

http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFL6E8HSEFQ20120628