CAIRO — With turnout low amid violence and frustration, Libyans voted Wednesday for a new Parliament they hope can bring some stability after three years of dizzying chaos in the North African nation, which has hardly had a functioning government and has been plagued by rampant militias and Islamic extremists since the ouster of Moammar Khadafy.
Islamists and their allies, who held a thin majority in the outgoing Parliament, are expected to lose ground in the vote, blamed by many for a political deadlock with their opponents that has virtually paralyzed the political system.
The new 200-member Parliament could be a step toward forming a more stable government with lawmakers’ backing, paving the way for the writing of the first post-Khadafy constitution within 18 months and the election of a president. Still, a new government will face the same challenge as previous ones — forming a unified military and central police force while reining in militias, some of which could lash out with violence if their political patrons lose in the election.