A small group of Canadians are headed to the polls today, but they are taking part in no ordinary election.
Libyan-Canadians across the country are casting their ballots ahead of the Libyan national election, which will be held this weekend to pick a new national assembly in the formerly embattled country.
This is the first time Libyans have gone to the polls since Muammar Gaddafi came to power in 1969. A new 200-member assembly will be chosen from 2,500 candidates who represent 142 political parties.
The election carries extra historical significance as the new assembly will be tasked with writing Libya’s constitution.
Canada is one of only six countries where citizens originally from Libya have the ability to vote for the new government. Libyans in Canada, the United States, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Great Britain were invited to vote due to their countries’ contributions to the uprising which ousted Gaddafi in 2011.
