Libya’s electoral commission rejected the presidential candidacy of Seif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of former dictator Moamer Gaddafi.
Other candidates still in the running include eastern general Khalifa Haftar, interim premier Abdulhamid Dbeibah, and former interior minister Fathi Bashgha, as the commission indicated their submissions were valid.
Libya’s December 24 polls are an essential part of Libya’s transition to democracy, following the decade old conflict which tore the oil-rich nation since the uprising that toppled Gaddafi in 2011.
Seif al-Islam, a wanted man by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes, was among 25 candidates whose bids have been rejected.
According to the HNEC commission, the candidacies were rejected on legal grounds, as well as based on information from officials.
“The names mentioned are excluded from the preliminary list of candidates as they do not meet the prerequisites and have not submitted all the necessary documents,” the HNEC said.
In the case of Seif al-Islam, the HNEC pointed to articles of the electoral law stipulating that candidates “must not have been sentenced for a dishonourable crime” and must present a clean criminal record.
Gaddafi had been sentenced to death by a Tripoli court for crimes committed during the revolt that toppled his father, and was later pardoned by a rival administration in eastern Libya.
add your comment
Terms of publication : Not to offend the writer, people, sacred things, or attack religions or the divine self, and refrain from racist incitement and insults.