Libyan Bashgagha Seeks to Remove PM Dbeibeh From Presidential Run

ALBAWABA - The road to the Libyan presidential elections slated for 24 December is turning out to be a true saga. There are many pitfalls just when the electoral campaigns are about to start.

News is coming in thick and fast. Prospective candidate Fathi Bashgagha, ex-Interior Minister of the Government of National Accord in Tripoli, is contesting the candidacy of the current interim Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibeh to run for president. 

He has filed a petition in the First Instance Appeals Committee of the Tripoli Appeals Court. Its members have already said they will look into the petition which is made on the ground that Dbeibeh has to resign his public position three months before submitting his application to want to run for president. Clearly Dbeibeh didn't do that and his candidacy only appeared in the last minute. 

Bashagha, an influential candidate, is among several presidential hopefuls to have filed appeals against Dbeibeh’s candidacy according to AFP  and that the Tripoli appeals court accepted their petitions and will examine them before giving a ruling.

There is conflicting news on the social media that the appeals court may have already made up its mind and issued a decision that states Dbeibeh indeed can't run for president. But the important thing about that is he still has 72 hours to contest the decision and he may still be able to run. 

Some 98 candidates, as well as two women are preparing to run for the December elections. Notable as well, is the fact Dbeibeh, 62, had promised during talks with the UN that he would not stand in the presidential polls according to the French news agency.