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Poor election turnout sign of Libya's despair

The low voter turnout in the June 25 elections shows just how disillusioned Libyans have become with their nation's politics.
Tuareg voters leave a school that serves as a polling station in Ghat, south western Libya, June 25, 2014. Libyans vote for a new parliament on Wednesday, an election officials hope will ease the chaos that has gripped the OPEC oil producer since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi three years ago. REUTERS/Ali Alhmdani Aghali (LIBYA - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) - RTR3VO0V
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Fewer Libyans voted this time for the Council House of Representatives as the new parliament is known, than in the general elections of 2012. In 2012, Libyans were full of hope and optimism after the NATO-Qatari-backed rebels toppled longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi. Democracy, stability, security, peace and above all freedom were the noble causes the majority of my countrymen were eager for. Yet, it took only three years to see all that crumble into a pile of wreckage.

No wonder this time that only 630,000 voted, less than half of the eligible voters registered to cast their ballots, compared with over 3 million in 2012. There were no party lists this time around, so every single candidate contested the election on his own, personal credibility. Full results, though, are not expected before July 3.

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