TRIPOLI, Libya, April 27 (UPI) -- The U.N. Support Mission in Libya said it viewed the start of the registration process for national elections as an important developmental milestone.
Voter and candidate registration for the Libyan National Congress starts Tuesday.
"Voters' registration is a very important step in the election process," the mission said in a statement. "UNSMIL encourages all Libyans to exercise their democratic rights and actively participate in the elections by going to registration centers to register."
The interim government in Libya adopted an electoral law in February. UNSMIL said the process was Libyan-led but the mission was there to provide technical support to an electoral committee and was ready to work with the country's Higher National Electoral Commission.
Voters in Misurata early this year cast ballots in the first election in roughly 40 years. The former rebel capital had to borrow ballot boxes from neighboring Tunisia and the ink used to identify voters arrived from London.
Fighters loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi used military force against the opposition, leading to a NATO-led intervention that ended with Gadhafi's death in October.
The security situation in Libya is complicated by tribal conflicts and various autonomy bids.
