July 07, 2012 - 8:02 PM
OTTAWA - Ottawa is noting the "emotion and significance" of elections being held in Libya today.
Libyans have gone to the polls in the country's first free national election in decades, which come after last year's ouster of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi.
A spokesman for Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird says Canada "stands with the Libyan people" as they work to entrench freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law in the country.
Rick Roth says Canada is inspired by the Libyans who battled tyranny and believed in a better future.
Libyans are electing a 200-member assembly whose first task will be naming a new government.
But despite the most visible step toward democracy in the country since Gadhafi's death last October, violence and protests during the elections are a reminder of the challenges that lie ahead.
There have been attacks on polling stations in the eastern part of the country, where some Libyans are angry over what they see as domination by their rivals from western Libya.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2012