Libyan protesters and militiamen stormed the headquarters of the election commission in the eastern city of Benghazi on Sunday, setting voting slips on fire, a militia commander said, a week before the country holds its first general election in nearly five decades. In southern Libya, a leader of Libya’s Tabu tribe threatened to boycott the election if the government does not withdraw its forces and tanks from a southern desert city where clashes have killed dozens. The violence and calls for boycotts threaten to tarnish the process of electing a 200-member assembly to form a government and oversee writing of a constitution.
In Benghazi, where the revolt that unseated longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi began last year, Fadallah Haroun, commander of a former rebel militia, said he joined protesters in the attack on the election commission. This came after the ruling transitional council in Tripoli turned down demands to give the east an equal share of seats in the assembly. He said that two other cities in eastern Libya have witnessed similar incidents. “We want justice,” Haroun said. “We lost tens of thousands of martyrs because we want a state built on justice, law and equal rights.” As the situation stands now, Tripoli and western Libya would have 102 seats, while the oil-rich east’s share would be 60. The rest would go to the sparsely populated south.
Full Article: Militiamen, protesters storm election commission in eastern city, set voting slips on fire – The Washington Post.