Updated

Libyans are defying the turmoil roiling their nation to vote in parliament elections, the third nationwide balloting since the toppling of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

The country's election commission says 1.5 million registered voters have the chance to cast ballots at 4,467 polling centers across the country on Wednesday and vote for 200 members of parliament.

The vote is a key step in transition for the oil-rich Libya, embroiled in deep political chaos and instability mainly because of the absence of a strong military and police force.

Successive transitional governments have depended on militias to achieve security. It's unclear how the balloting will take place in violence-stricken east.

Since Gadhafi's ouster, Libya held parliament elections in 2012 and last year elected a 60-member panel to draft the country's new constitution.