Low voter turnout in Libyan election

Voting closes in Libya's parliamentary elections.

The poll was called just a month ago, in the hope it would strengthen government authority in an increasingly lawless state.

Only 630,000 people turned out to vote.

That's less than half the number of registered voters, and a fraction of the roughly 6 million people living in the country.

Election authorities tightened registration rules requiring voters to show a national identification number.

But with the collapse of state services, this is something that many people do not have.

Libya has struggled to control militants since the ousting of Colonel Gaddafi in 2011.

Here in Benghazi, security was tight after weeks of heavy fighting between irregular forces and Islamists.

(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) RAMDHAN BOQREEN, VOTER, SAYING:

"God willing, the parliamentary election will be a solution and the situation will be calm to let Libya take its new course. This is a new experiment that Libyan