Libyans await poll results

Libyan voters turned out to the polls on Saturday to cast their ballots in the country's first free election in 60 years. After the polls closed, the country's election commission said 1.6 million of Libya's 2.8 million eligible voters had cast their ballots, which translates into a turnout of just under 60 percent.

The alliance of liberal forces headed by Mahmud Jibril, who played a prominent role as rebel prime minister during the popular revolt last year, are claiming an early lead as counting continued across the country on Sunday.

Although they did concede that there were some problems with the voting, election officials said 98 percent of polling centers across the country had been open for at least part of the day. Some voting centers in the east of the country in particular, are reported to have remained open late, due to disruptions earlier in the day.

Voters were electing members to an assembly known as the General National Congress, a body that is to have legislative powers and appoint an interim government to lay the the groundwork for full parliamentary elections in 2013.

Trouble in the east

Despite the jubilation of many Libyans at finally being able to express their democratic will following years of dictatorship, there were some incidents of violence.

An anti-election protester was killed when an unknown gunman opened fire near a polling station in the eastern town of Ajdabiya as he tried to steal a ballot box, electoral commissioner, Nouri al-Abari told a news conference.

"Three men in a car were trying to threaten the voting process in one of the polling stations," Deputy Interior Minister Omar al-Khadrawi added at the conference.

A security guard ran after the car, shooting at it, killing one person and injuring two others inside, Khadrawi said.

Ajdabiya has been the focus of protests against the election by easteners who are demanding more independence for their region.

Despite the violence, Western observers determined that the vote had largely been a success.

Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, who heads the team of 21 European Union monitors, described the vote as historic.

"We have witnessed voters coming out in large numbers to the polls peacefully and free of fear and intimidation, despite some disturbances in the east and some tensions in the south," he told the AFP news agency.

"Overall, this election marks a historic milestone for Libya."

jlw/slk (Reuters, dpa, AP, AFP)