The voter registration for the upcoming parliamentary elections began on Wednesday, marking an important step in the arduous political transition.

The process will last until May 15 in preparation for the election of the House of the Representatives, according to the plan issued by the High National Elections Commission (HNEC).

The HNEC called on all Libyans to be positive about the elections and to take part in rebuilding the country.

The commission did not set a date for holding the vote but it is widely speculated to take place in the second half of the year.

The present interim parliament, the General National Congress ( GNC), was originally scheduled to be dissolved in February. But due to political upheavals and security reasons, the GNC has been unable to complete its tasks including making a constitution and organizing a presidential election, so its mandate has been renewed from time to time.

Since the fall of Libya's former leader Muammar Gaddafi, the parliament has entered a deadlock between various interest groups, provoking protests around the North African country against its slow pace of change.