Libya’s interim Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah registered to run for the presidency on Sunday, despite having vowed not to run as a condition for his current post.
Dbeibah is joining a list of candidates that features Libya’s main players, including eastern-based general Khalifa Haftar, and the son of former leader Gaddafi.
Dbeibah signed documents at the HNEC electoral commission in the capital Tripoli, in footage broadcast live by state television, the day before the deadline for registration.
“It is a historic and decisive day. I came for the homeland and the unity of the homeland,” said Dbeibah, the 57th candidate to register for the vote.
Libya’s elections are an essential part of an UN-brokered deal to transition the country into democracy after its decade-old conflict.
Both presidential and legislative polls were set for December 24, but parliament postponed the legislative vote until January.
As of yet, nearly three million Libyans out of the seven million-strong population have registered to vote.
Hundreds of Libyans took to the street on Friday to protest “war criminals” joining the race.
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