(Image Source: The Guardian )

BY JOHN O’CONNOR

ANCHOR CHRISTIAN BRYANT

Political uncertainty has led to protest and violence preceding the first free election in Libya in more than four decades. Al Jazeera has more .

“The pilot of a helicopter carrying material for Saturday’s parliamentary election in Libya has been killed. Anti-aircraft fire hit his helicopter which made a forced landing near Benghazi.”

The attackers have not yet been identified, but eastern Libya has been the focus of political unrest by groups seeking greater regional autonomy. The UK’s Channel 4 reports .

“Not everyone supports the election. In fact, they're sabotaging it. They say western Libya's been given too many Parliamentary seats, and the east is being neglected as it was under Gaddafi.”

Groups in Benghazi have rallied a rogue militia to protest the structure of the new temporary government. The BBC explains .

“They are angry that the west of the country has been granted more seats in the new 200-member General National Congress than the oil-rich east. The current system allocates 100 seats to the west, 60 to the east and 40 to the south.”

As part of the protest, armed militiamen have begun closing oil export terminals in the east. Reuters is reporting almost half of Libya’s oil exporting capacity has been shut down. But the Guardian reports not everyone in Benghazi is trying to sabotage the elections.

“Most observers expect voting to proceed. On Monday around 5,000 people staged a counter-rally in Benghazi in favour of the election, while the town of Zawiya, an hour's drive from Tripoli, offered to give its quota of eight seats to the east in the interests of national unity.”

Libyans will pick from 1,400 candidates for the 200-seat National Assembly.  The assembly will form a temporary government and draft a constitution.