Gadhafi’s son announces run for Libyan presidency

Cairo: The son and one-time heir apparent  of late Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi  announced Sunday his candidacy for the  country’s presidential election next month,  Libya’s election agency said. Seif al-Islam  submitted his candidacy papers in the  southern town of Sabah, the agency said in  a statement. Gadhafi’s son was captured by  fighters late in 2011, the year when a popular uprising toppled his father after more  than 40 years in power. Moammar Gadhafi  was later killed amid the ensuing fighting  that would turn into a civil war. In a video  released by the elections office where he  registered, Seif al-Islam addressed the  camera said that God will decide the right  path for the country’s future. He wore a  traditional Libyan robe and turban and  spectacles.

Seif al-Islam was released in June 2017  after more than five years of detention,  and in July told The New York Times in an  exclusive interview that he was considering a run for the country’s top office. Libya  is set to hold presidential elections on Dec  24, after years of UN-led attempts to usher  in a more democratic future and bring the  war to an end.

The long-awaited vote still faces challenges, including unresolved issues over  election laws and occasional infighting  among armed groups. Other obstacles include the deep rift that remains between  the country’s east and west, split for years  by the war, and the presence of thousands  of foreign fighters and troops. Gadhafi the  dictator had eight children, most of whom  played significant roles in his regime. His  son Muatassim was killed at the same time  Gadhafi was captured and slain. -AP