DUBAI // Today is the last chance for Libyan expatriates to vote for the country's congress.
The polling station at the Libyan consulate, which has been open since Tuesday, will close at 6pm today, after which the vote counting will begin.
Staff at the consulate said expatriate Libyans had travelled to Dubai from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain to vote.
"They were so happy, they were crying," said Majda Annaihum, the national adviser for organising the voting in Dubai. "They were bringing in families, all coming to celebrate."
The election is the first after the 42 years of autocratic rule under Muammar Qaddafi.
A total of 2,501 candidates and 142 political parties are vying to form the new General National Congress to draft the country's constitution.
Ms Annaihum said the outpouring of emotion was expected.
"We weren't surprised because that's how we felt, too," she said. "It was a very special moment. All of us wanted to cheer after we voted."
Ms Annaihum declined to give a figure for the turnout so far.
The figures, she said, would be announced through Tripoli rather than through the Dubai consulate.
There are also overseas polling stations in Jordan, Germany, the UK, the US and Canada. The station in Dubai is the only one in the Arabian Gulf region.
About 2,000 expatriate Libyans reside in Dubai, but Ms Annaihum said she did not expect all of them to vote in Dubai.
"Many of them have travelled to Libya for their holidays and to vote in person," she noted.
mcroucher@thenational.ae
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
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Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.