Gadhafi son announces candidacy for president

CAIRO/TRIPOLI－The son and one-time heir apparent of late Libyan ruler Muammar Gadhafi announced on Sunday his candidacy for the country's presidential election next month, Libya's election agency has confirmed.

Libya's first direct presidential poll, with a first round on Dec 24, would mark the climax of a process launched last year by the United Nations to try to draw a line under years of violence since the revolt that toppled Gadhafi in 2011.

Saif al-Islam Gadhafi, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, or ICC, on charges of crimes against humanity related to the 2011 uprising, submitted his candidacy papers in the southern city of Sabha, 650 kilometers south of the capital Tripoli, the High National Elections Commission said in a statement on Sunday.

Saif al-Islam was captured by fighters in the town of Zintan late in 2011, the year when the "Arab Spring", backed by the West, toppled his father after more than 40 years in power. Gadhafi was killed in October 2011 amid the ensuing fighting that would turn into a civil war.

In a video shared by an election official, Saif al-Islam addressed the camera. The 49-year-old, who earned a PhD at the London School of Economics, wore a traditional Libyan robe, turban and spectacles. It was the first time in years that he appeared in public.

The second-born son to the longtime leader, he was seen as the reformist face of the Gadhafi government before 2011. He was released in June 2017 after more than five years of detention. This July, he told The New York Times that he was considering a run for the country's top office. His candidacy is likely to stir controversy across the divided country.

Saif al-Islam is wanted by the ICC on charges of crimes against humanity allegedly committed in the first weeks of the 2011 uprising. Court spokesman Fadi El Abdallah declined to comment on Saif al-Islam's candidacy.

"The court doesn't comment on political issues, as for the legal side there is a pending warrant of arrest and that hasn't changed," he said.

Saif al-Islam, who has deeply rooted links to tribes across Libya, is the first major presidential hopeful to submit his candidacy to run for the country's highest post. Also widely expected to announce their bids are powerful military commander Khalifa Haftar, Parliament Speaker Aguila Saleh and former interior minister Fathi Bashaga, The Associated Press reported.

Free elections

The announcement of Saif al-Islam's candidacy came after an international conference in Paris on Friday expressed support for holding "free, fair, inclusive and credible presidential and parliamentary elections" in Libya.

World powers at the meeting also warned that Libya was at a "crossroads" that would determine its future.

Gadhafi had eight children, most of whom played significant roles in his government. Another son, Muatassim, was killed at the same time Gadhafi was captured and slain. Two other sons, Saif al-Arab and Khamis, were killed earlier in the conflict. Yet another son, al-Saadi Gadhafi, was released in September after more than seven years of detention in Tripoli following his extradition from neighboring Niger.

Agencies - Xinhua