Gadhafi’s son announces candidacy for president of Libya

CAIRO — The son and one-time heir apparent of late Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi has announced his candidacy for the country’s presidential election next month, Libya’s election agency says.

Seif al-Islam submitted his candidacy papers in the southern town of Sabah, the agency says today 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 addresses the camera and says that God will decide the right path for the country’s future. He wears 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 December 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.