Early Libyan Election Returns Good for Jibril Alliance

Posted July 8th, 2012 at 7:55 pm (UTC-5)
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Early vote-counting from Libya's first multi-party elections in 60 years indicates Western-leading parties with an edge over their Islamist rivals.

Final tallies from Saturday's election are not expected for days. But partial counts from Libya's big cities give the lead to an alliance of parties led by former rebel prime minister Mahmoud Jibril. He called Sunday for a national dialogue of all parties to form a new government.

Libyans voted for members of a 200-seat National Assembly that will form a temporary government and draft a constitution ahead of full parliamentary elections next year.

Libya's Electoral Commission put the turnout in the election at about 60 percent.

A spokesman for United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued a statement Sunday congratulating Libya for what he called a “well-conducted and transparent” election. U.S. President Barack Obama also issued a statement of congratulations.

Libya's revolution last year was one of the central events in the pro-democracy uprisings that became known as the Arab Spring.