Gaddafi’s son registers to run in Libya’s presidential election

By Mohammad Erteima

TRIPOLI, Libya (AA) – Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of former Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi, submitted his application on Sunday to run in Libya’s upcoming presidential election, according to local media.

Al-Marsad news website published on Facebook a video of Saif al-Islam in the office of the elections commission in the southwestern city of Sabha, where he presented his application.

Saif al-Islam appears in the video wearing a Libyan traditional dress with a long white beard.

Libya’s presidential and parliamentary elections are set to take place on Dec. 24 under an UN-sponsored agreement reached by Libyan political rivals during meetings in Tunisia on Nov. 15, 2020.

The oil-rich country’s electoral commission on Nov. 8 opened registration for candidates in the polls despite ongoing tensions between the parliament, the High Council of State, and the unity government regarding electoral powers and laws.

Libyans hope that the upcoming elections will contribute to ending an armed conflict that has plagued the oil-rich country for years.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara