Staff Reporter
Libya could soon have a Gaddafi back at the head of its government.
Almost a decade since a rebellion backed by the US and Western and Arab powers ousted his father Muammar from power, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi’s candidacy for the presidency has been approved by local courts.
The election is scheduled for 24 December but could be delayed.
Saif al-Islam is regarded as the most intelligent of the seven children of the flamboyant old dictator. Before the 2011 revolutionary movement, he was seen as his father’s successor and as a “liberaliser”.
But when the popular insurrection gathered momentum, he went on TV, warning that the uprising would be “crushed” and that “rivers of blood would flow in the streets”.
He was at the head of the repression against demonstrators till September 2011 when he was captured and dispatched to Zintan, where he was held for a decade by the political clans running the city.
The death of his father was followed by a decade of turmoil in Libya as various clans, tribes and militias fought for dominance and the western powers mainly withdrew from the mess they had helped create.
During the civil war in 2019 and 2020 western Libya was supported by Turkey while the East won the support of Russia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. A ceasefire in October 2020 put an end to the fighting and opened the way for elections.
Saif al-Islam has won support from Egypt and Russia, two key players in the country, and for this reason alone is regarded as a credible contender for the presidency.
Other candidates include Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, Parliamentary President Mohamed al-Menfi, Assembly Speaker Aguila Saleh and rebel general General Khalifa Haftar.
Image source: @MiddleEastEye
