Insight

“Voter participation is a religious obligation - the Grand Mufti of Libya,” says one recent text message sent to Libyans ahead of the landmark elections for a new parliament. With just over a month until people are due to vote for a new National Public Conference, which will choose a government and draft a new constitution, the Libyan authorities have been resorting to increasingly novel ways to encourage registration. Although they have at times appeared desperate, the tactics have so far led to more than a million eligible people - about a sixth of the population - signing up.