Tripoli, 11 July:
Tebu voters in Kufra finally managed to get to the polls yesterday, three days after the elections, after their leaders relented and allowed voting material to be delivered to the two polling stations in Tebu districts in the town.
They were the only polling stations in the entire country not to have been operational during the elections. A number of others had opened late on Saturday and continued throughout the night because of attacks or blockades by Cyrenaica federalists. Six others in Sidra opened on Sunday.
Last week, Tebu leaders in Kufra had threatened to boycott the election unless the government put an end to continued violence in the town. They were also protesting the decision to bar a thousand Tebus from voting.
Officials from the High National Election Commission twice negotiated with Tebu leaders to get election material to the two polling centres, on Friday and Saturday. On both occasions, however, after intially agreeing, the leaders then changed their minds. Yesterday it was third time lucky and Kufra’s Tebu community were able finally join the rest of the country in casting their votes.
Results from the other ten polling stations in Kufra that opened on Saturday have arrived at the election centre in Tripoli but officials are now waiting for those from the two Tebu stations before announcing the results there. [/restrict]
