When Libyans went to the polls to elect a General National Congress (GNC)—an interim body that will appoint a new government and oversee the drafting of a constitution – they were joined by thousands of volunteer activists from civil society, there to observe and report on the vote. The citizen observers, part of three observer networks, hoped to contribute to the election’s integrity and help ensure that it adhered to national and international standards of conduct. As a result, these civil society activists set a precedent for nonpartisan observation of future elections.

On Saturday, Libyans will vote in the first national election since the uprising that ousted Muammar Gaddafi, who ruled over the country for more than four decades. Citizens will elect 200 members to serve in a National Public Conference (NPC), which will oversee the drafting of a new constitution and design the institutions of Libya’s democracy. For the first time in the country’s history, political parties are organizing across the country to field candidates for public office.

An NDI pre-election delegation to Georgia released its findings on June 29, in advance of parliamentary elections scheduled for October. The delegation assessed the status of electoral preparations, the conduct of political activity by major electoral participants, and the general electoral environment. It met with government officials, parliamentary candidates, political party leaders, election authorities, and representatives of civil society, the media and the international community.