Council elections begin in eastern region of Libya

Municipal council elections began in Libya's eastern region on Monday, with voters casting their ballots in the cities of Jalu, Awjila and Jikharra in Al-Wahat district.

The head of the Khaled Bin Al-Waleed School polling station Ezzdin Al-Oujali said turnout was good in his district, with 1,695 voters turning up.

Voters in the nationwide election are picking from dozens of candidates, including four women and four candidates with special needs.

Local elections began in the west of the country about a week ago under the supervision of the UN-backed government of National Accord in Tripoli, while the elections began in the east on Monday in several municipalities under the supervision of the interim government of the Libyan Parliament.

To help facilitate the vote, authorities assigned the day as an official holiday.

The municipal elections are the first in nearly 7 years in the east of the country.

The first ever parliamentary and local democratic elections were held in April 2014 after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

More than 600,000 voters are eligible participate in the nationwide electoral process, according to the Central Committee for Municipal Council Elections in Libya.