Libyans are set to elect their new parliament on Wednesday, marking the second general vote in about 40 years in the war-torn North African country.
According to Libya's political transitional plan, the new parliament, the House of Representatives, will substitute the current General National Congress (GNC) and later will organize a presidential election to end the country's transition phase.
The official LANA agency reported that polls will be open for one day on June 25, with preliminary results expected within the week.
A total of 1,714 candidates, including 152 women, will compete 200 parliamentary seats, with 32 seats reserved for women.
All candidates registered independently in the election, since party lists are not allowed under the current electoral law.
There are hopes that the new parliament will break the deadlock between the secular groups and Islamists, bringing the country back on the right track after three years of political chaos since the 2011 turmoil which toppled the former leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Emad al-Sayeh, Chairman of Libya's High National Electoral Commission, said to Xinhua in an exclusive interview that the commission has made sufficient preparations for the coming parliamentary election, and security forces will ensure the safety of polling stations.

Source : XINHUA