By Mohammed Erteima
TRIPOLI, Libya (AA) - Registration for upcoming elections in Libya has closed, the country’s election commission said Tuesday.
The High National Elections Commission (HNEC) said registration will open for Libyans overseas beginning Wednesday, without giving any further details.
It said 2,830,971 Libyans have registered to vote.
Parliamentary and presidential elections are expected to take place Dec. 24 under an agreement between Libyan rivals during UN-sponsored talks last year.
Libya has recently witnessed positive developments following a breakthrough in which rival parties agreed on Feb. 5 on a unified new executive authority to govern in the lead-up to the elections.
Libyans hope the new authority will end years of civil war that have engulfed the country since the ouster and killing of strongman Muammar al-Qaddafi in 2011.
*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara