Polls open in Benghazi in long-awaited municipal elections

Voting gets under way on Saturday morning in Libya’s long-awaited municipal elections for the third group of local councils, amid keen public anticipation after repeated delays.

Attention is focused in particular on Benghazi, the largest and most politically significant municipality in this round, where voters are heading to polling stations to choose their local representatives. Elections are also taking place in eight other municipalities: Tobruk, Sabha, Sirte, Qasr Al-Jadi, Suluq, Tocra, Qaminis and Al-Abyar.

The High National Elections Commission (HNEC) has set polling hours from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm on the same day. It has urged all registered voters in the concerned municipalities to bring their voter cards and attend their designated polling centres to exercise their democratic right.

This round of voting follows a period of disruption. In August, security agencies affiliated with the government appointed by the House of Representatives ordered the closure of polling centres across eastern and southern Libya, including in Benghazi and Sabha, leading to the postponement of the elections in these areas.

The outcome of today’s vote is expected to provide an important indication of local political dynamics, particularly in Benghazi, which carries considerable administrative and symbolic weight.