The Libyan Central Commission for Municipal Councils Elections (CCMCE) said 9 municipalities saw voting on Saturday, adding that since 8.00 PM on the same day the personnel had been sorting out the votes, expecting to announce the results starting from Sunday.

The CCMCE said the turnout in the 9 municipalities reached about 40% of the registered voters.

The 9 municipalities are Wadi Utba, Bent Baya, Zuwara, Batin Al-Jabal, Al-Qalaa, Al-Riyana, Nalut, Al-Hawamid, and Ghadames.

A spokesman for the CCMCE said they had prepared for elections in 68 centers for western Libya.

All western region municipalities are expected to hold elections in the coming days, but there are no indications of similar elections in eastern Libya, where the Interim Government is in charge.

The Head of the CCMCE, Salim Bin Tahiya, visited eastern Libya recently and said that the "army" was ready to secure the holding of elections in the region.

Most elected municipal councils were replaced over the last years with military figures appointed as mayors at the orders of the military governor of Khalifa Haftar's forces.

In the meantime, the UN Development Program wished Libyans luck for successful municipal elections in the 9 areas, tweeting that the holding of the elections was due to efforts done by the program with support by international partners who helped Libya's CCMCE to prepare for and then organize the elections.

The UNSMIL expressed relief that the elections were held peacefully in the 9 municipalities, saying this is an implication of Libyans' commitment to democratic elections.