DEMOCRACY

Libyan Vote First in 60 Years

Joyful voters line up in Tripoli.

In what marks their official break from their deceased former dictator Muammar Gaddafi, Libyans streamed to the polls Saturday to vote. They are electing a 200-member assembly that will in turn pick a prime minister and cabinet—all part of the long democracy-building process before a full parliamentary election is held next year under a new constitution. Voting went smoothly in the capital of Tripoli, but elsewhere there were reports of incidents aimed at intimidating voters or blocking them from voting outright. There were no reported fatalities, however. Parties with an Islamic agenda dominated the field, suggesting the resultant government may have a religious orientation.