For the first time in a decade, more than 350 polling stations open their doors in communities across Libya for the first phase of eagerly-awaited local elections in a country torn by political and institutional divisions. "It's a new experience for Libyans, but it's the culmination of the hopes of the (2011) revolution and the sacrifices of our young people, so we have to take part," says Salma Ismaïl, a voter in Misrata, Libya's third-largest city, where voter turnout was still too low in the eyes of those interviewed by AFP. "Our fellow citizens are reluctant to take part in the democratic process to elect their local representatives. We were hoping for a higher turnout than in previous elections," complained Hamida al-Mangoush, another voter. Since the end of the Kadhafi regime, Libya has been in a state of instability. For several years, Libya has been governed by two rival executives: one in Tripoli (west), led by Abdulhamid Dbeibah and recognised by the UN, and the other in the east, represented by the parliament and linked to military strongman Khalifa Haftar, whose stronghold is Benghazi. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES