Libya announces plan for upcoming presidential, parliamentary elections

TRIPOLI -- Libya's High National Elections Commission (HNEC) on Sunday announced a plan for the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections.

According to the plan, the polling day for the first round of the presidential elections is determined in the Commissioner's proposal that is approved by the House of Representatives (parliament), Imad Al-Sayah, the head of HNEC, told a press conference in the capital Tripoli.

The second round of the presidential elections will be held simultaneously with the parliamentary elections, Al-Sayah said.

"The Commissioner will announce the results of both electoral processes simultaneously upon completion," he added.

Al-Sayah also said the recommendation forms will be uploaded in advance on the official website of the HNEC "to give enough time for candidates to prepare and submit them as soon as the nomination begins."

The total number of registered Libyan voters, both at home and abroad, is 2,865,624, according to the HNEC.

The UN-sponsored Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) in February selected a new executive authority of a unity government and a presidency council, ending years of political division in the North African country.

The new authority's main task is to prepare for the general elections to be held on Dec. 24 this year, as endorsed by the LPDF.