In an interesting article for Foreign Affairs, Emadeddin Zahri Muntasser outlines the case against elections in Libya, which are currently planned to be held at some point next year, arguing that holding elections when the country is not ready for them is actually likely to worsen conflict and division rather than providing a panacea to Libya's problems.
Normally, a call for elections is a sign of a vibrant democracy. In Libya, however, the current rush to hold a vote within a few months from now—a proposal that has been advanced by everyone from United Arab Emirates-backed warlords to the United Nations—will condemn the Libyan people to a future of apartheid and instability. The danger is enshrined in the way Libya holds elections: the current law absurdly gives minority voters more power over the majority, effectively disenfranchising large swaths of the Libyan population and permitting extremist elements and those loyal to the unpopular former regime of Muammar al-Qaddafi to win a disproportionate share of Parliament.
Click here to read the full article.