Libyans celebrate voting in free election

Libyans, relieved that their first free national election in 60 years had survived violence and protests, celebrated the chance to draw a line under Muammar Gaddafi’s dictatorship and forge a brighter future for their country.

While two deaths were reported as anti-election protesters sought to disrupt Saturday’s poll which they reject as a sham, the interim Libyan government and Western backers of last year’s uprising hailed it as an early triumph for democracy.

No clear outcome is expected until today and questions remain on how the new 200-head national assembly will function, the importance of Islamic groups within it, and how growing demands for more autonomy in the east are to be addressed.