Son of former Libyan ruler Gaddafi runs for president

TRIPOLI • The son of Libya's late dictator Muammar Gaddafi appeared the first time in nearly a decade yesterday to register as a presidential candidate for a December vote planned to help end the years of chaos since his father was toppled.

Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi, 49, appeared in an electoral commission video in traditional brown robe and turban, and with a grey beard and glasses, signing documents at an election centre. He is one of the most prominent and controversial figures to run for president, a list that includes eastern military commander Khalifa Haftar, Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah and Parliament speaker Aguila Saleh.

But while his name is well known in Libya and he once played a major role in shaping policy before the 2011 Nato-backed uprising that destroyed his family's regime, he has barely been seen for a decade. His formal entry into an election whose rules are still being contested by Libya's squabbling factions may also cast new questions over the planned Dec 24 vote that features candidates viewed in some regions as unacceptable.

While Saif Gaddafi is likely to play on nostalgia for the era before the uprising that subsequently ushered in a decade of chaos and violence, analysts say he may not prove to be a front-runner. The era is still remembered by many as one of harsh autocracy, and Saif Gaddafi and other former regime figures have been out of power for so long they may find it hard to garner as much support as major rivals.

Muammar Gaddafi was captured outside his hometown of Sirte by opposition fighters in Oct 2011 and summarily shot and his son seized days later by fighters from the Zintan region as he tried to flee Libya for Niger. Just over a decade later, Saif Gaddafi is now something of a cipher for Libyans. He has not yet made any public appearance speaking directly to them.

Complicating his presidential ambitions, he was tried in absentia in 2015 by a Tripoli court at which he appeared via video link from Zintan, and which sentenced him to death for war crimes including killing protesters during the 2011 revolt. He would likely face arrest or other dangers if he appeared publicly in the capital Tripoli. He is also wanted by the International Criminal Court.

Educated at the London School of Economics and a fluent English speaker, he was once seen by many governments as the acceptable Western-friendly face of Libya, and a possible heir-apparent.

REUTERS