"We want justice," Haroun said. "We lost tens of thousands of martyrs because we want a state built on justice, law and equal rights."

As the situation stands now, Tripoli and western Libya would have 102 seats, while the oil-rich east's share would be 60. The rest would go to the sparsely populated south.

Eastern leaders charge this leaves them with no influence over drafting the constitution.

The July 7 vote will be the country's first nationwide election since the 1960s. Gadhafi, who ruled for 42 years, banned political parties and elections.

Benghazi, the largest city in eastern Libya, suffered marginalization under Gadhafi's rule. In March, top leaders and commanders held a meeting to discuss plans for semi-autonomous rule in the east. The ruling transitional council accused them of trying to split the country into mini-states.

In the south, African Tabu leader Issa Abdel-Majid told