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Libya Holds Parliamentary Election


Electoral workers prepare to count ballots after polling stations closed in Tripoli June 25, 2014. Less than a third of Libyan voters had gone to the polls by late afternoon on Wednesday in a parliamentary election overshadowed by violence.
Electoral workers prepare to count ballots after polling stations closed in Tripoli June 25, 2014. Less than a third of Libyan voters had gone to the polls by late afternoon on Wednesday in a parliamentary election overshadowed by violence.

Voting has ended in a Libyan general election marred by low turnout and threats of violence.

Fewer than half of the eligible voters cast their ballots Wednesday for a new parliament, as the country seeks an end to the turmoil that has persisted since the overthrow of former leader Moammar Gadhafi.

More than 1,600 candidates are running for the 200 seats in the new body, with 32 of the seats designated for women.

The lawmakers will replace a parliament that was elected in 2012 and that many blame for the lingering instability that included a dispute over selecting a prime minister last month.

No voting took place in the flashpoint city of Derna in the east and some polls remained closed in at least two other areas.

The militias that helped topple Gadhafi in 2011 have remained in Libya, carving out their own territories of control and some taking control of key ports that have hurt the country's ability to export oil.

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