Gadafi’s son, Seif al-Islam Declares to Run for Libya presidency

Seif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of the late Libya military ruler, Muammar Gaddafi, has registered to run in the country’s December presidential polls, the electoral commission, disclosed.

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

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

Libya’s first ever direct presidential poll, 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.

In July, Seif al-Islam, 49, emerged from years in the shadows and told The New York Times 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 exclude standing for the presidency.

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