Libya - IOM in its role as implementing partner to Libya's High National Election Commission (HNEC) worked to make it possible for 10,087 registered voters to participate in the process in 22 locations across 13 countries.

The countries where registration and voting were made possible are Canada, Egypt, Qatar, Jordan, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Tunisia, Turkey, Malaysia, the UAE, UK and the US. This election saw the addition of Toronto, Alexandria and Chicago to the list of locations where out of country voting took place in Libya's 2012 General National Congress election and in the 2014 Constitutional Drafting Assembly election.

Thirteen teams on the ground worked in a seven-week timeframe to set up the operation, and reach out to communities with information necessary for registration and voting using a wide variety of tools including posters and brochures, community meetings and the organization of special events for Libyans overseas.

Working with HNEC-appointed National Advisors, OCV teams engaged students, volunteers, Libyan embassies and consulates to ensure as many Libyans as possible were informed of the opportunity to contribute to the democratic process in Libya.

Voting took place in person, with approximately 38 per cent of those registered or 3,816 Libyans in the diaspora coming out to vote. Thirty per cent of the voters were women. Accredited observers and media were on hand in most locations to observe the process. Following the vote, ballots were safely secured and counted in tandem with the in-country process.

“Our teams were quickly mobilized at HNEC's request and we are pleased that we were able to deliver a smooth and transparent process in line with HNEC's policies and procedures,” said IOM's Chief of Mission in Libya, Othman Belbeisi. “IOM will continue to remain a steadfast partner to HNEC in its important role for the future of Libya and the betterment of its people.”

Under the overall guidance of the HNEC, IOM serves as a member of the integrated UN Election Support Team (UNEST) in Libya, which combines UNSMIL, UNDP and IOM.

For further information, please contact

Mr. Jeffrey Labovitz
IOM’s Elections Specialist
 Email: jlabovitz@iom.int  
Tel. +66 2 343 9353