Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the second son of former dictator Muamar Gaddafi, is running in Libya’s presidential election. This was announced by a representative of the Election Commission.
Gaddafi, 49, was imprisoned for more than five years until 2017 for war crimes during the revolution that ended his father’s rule. He was released because the Libyan government granted him an amnesty. Saif was considered the favorite son of Muamar Gaddafi, who died in 2011, and was seen as his successor for a long time during his reign.
Chaos
Saif Gaddafi’s campaign may cite the chaos the country has found itself in after his father was deposed and tap into the nostalgic feelings some of his father’s former supporters have. Still, he may not be the top candidate for president, observers believe.
Many will associate it with the regime of his father, who ruled Libya with an iron fist for decades. In addition, Saif Gaddafi and other close friends of his father have long been out of power. That made it difficult for them to rally as many supporters as his rivals who do have recent political experience.
War
After the uprising against dictator Gaddafi and his death in 2011, a war erupted in Libya that deeply divided the country. In October last year, the warring parties agreed a ceasefire.
Elections are scheduled to be held on December 24. Whether they will actually continue is the question. With six weeks to go, much is still unclear about how the elections in the country should go exactly and who exactly can participate.
There is still a large rift between parties in the east and west of the country and thousands of foreign mercenaries are still present in the country who threaten the peace.
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