Amid a swamp of reports about the ongoing revolution in Syria and the post-revolution transition process in Egypt, the situation in Libya is not getting enough international media attention.

The reason is not a deliberate apathy on the part of the media towards what is happening in the country, but a serious lack of significant developments there. After the overthrow and the subsequent killing of dictator Muammar Gaddafi, Libya has been struggling to find an alternative.

The country didn’t have any charismatic leaders to direct its transition to democracy, and the existence of a plethora of tribes and militias, each fighting for dominance at the cost of national unity, has been a bane of the country and disappointed the foreign powers which had invested heavily in the struggle against Gaddafi.

It’s in this context that Libyans are going to the polls tomorrow to elect a 200-member national assembly, called the General National Congress, that will name a prime minister, enact legislation and appoint a committee to draft a constitution.

The election hasn’t generated the kind of global media interest as in Egypt, though the reasons are obvious.

The reporting from Libya has been insufficient and didn’t give the international community a complete picture of the election process – about the parties contesting the polls, the kind of democracy that is likely to evolve and the future that awaits the country after the elections etc.

The outcome of Saturday’s election will decide the future of Libya. If it produces a government with a stronger mandate to rule than the current ex-rebel National Transitional Council (NTC), the future of the country will be stable despite all the problems it currently faces.

If the election does not take place in a free and fair manner, results in a fractured mandate or if post-vote disputes degenerate into gun battles among rival factions, Libyans will be left staring at a bleak future and a prolonged uncertainty that could make many Libyans long for the stability of Gaddafi days.

Over 2,500 candidates are contesting the elections, many of whom are said to have strong Islamist agendas.

The new assembly will pick a new prime minister and help draft a constitution aimed at turning the country into a unified, stable state. Once the new constitution is drafted, a referendum will be held and, if it establishes a parliamentary system, a full legislative poll will be held within six months.

It’s the duty of the NTC to make sure that the election is held in a free and fair manner. The NTC must give full powers to the army to establish order during the election. This is an opportunity that Libya cannot afford to miss, and any failure will be a blemish on Arab Spring in which the Arab masses have invested their hopes.