Gadhafi’s son, Seif al-Islam, signs up to run for president of Libya

Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, the son of slain Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi, registered on Sunday to participate in the country’s December presidential elections, the electoral commission said.

“Seif al-Islam Gadhafi submitted … his candidacy for the presidential election to the office of the High National Electoral Commission in the (southern) city of Sebha,” a statement from the commission said.

He said that he had fulfilled “all required legal conditions” and that he was also issued a voter registration card for the Sebha district.

Libya’s first direct presidential election, with a first round on December 24, is the climax of a process launched last year by the United Nations to draw a line under years of violence since the revolt that toppled dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011. .

Libya opened the candidate registry on Monday.

In July, Seif al-Islam, 49, emerged from years in the shadows and told The New York Times that he was planning a political comeback.

In a rare interview, he said he wanted to “restore the lost unity” of Libya after a decade of chaos and did not rule out running for president.

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The former heir apparent of the dictator is wanted for crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Until the interview, Seif al-Islam had not been seen or heard since June 2014, when he appeared via video link from Zintan, in the west of the country, during his trial in a Tripoli court.

(AFP)