After preparations are done, candidates for Libya's general election can register in the first part of November, according to Emad Al Sayeh, the country's High National Elections Commission.

Mr Al Sayeh announced at a press conference in Tripoli, Libya's capital, that the first round of presidential elections will be held on December 24, and that a second round will be held in conjunction with legislative elections at a later date.

“We want to underscore our venerable judicial system which we are proud of … and which we should refer to to build a state of law,” he said, addressing scepticism about the electoral process.

“A message to Libyans: the commission will not renege on its promise to hold free and fair elections,” he said.

The elections are viewed as a significant step in resolving the problems that erupted when former tyrant Muammar Qaddafi was deposed in 2011.