Less than six months prior to the widely anticipated Libyan elections which are expected to bring the country's first post-war government and president, rumors over the possible candidates who may consider running for presidency have named the son of ousted Libyan leader Muammar Al-Gaddafi, Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi and others.
A barrage of storytelling re #Saif al-Islam’s big, sensational comeback will dominate the remainder of 2021 — the idea being that a “bloc” of #Greens will crystallize around him.
— Jalel Harchaoui (@JMJalel_H) June 22, 2021
Yet any #Libyan truly familiar with the 2000s will tell you that there cannot be such unified bloc…
Even though the country is still waiting for its election law to be finalized, press sources are already naming possible candidates for the presidency of the North African country.
Elections that are scheduled for the 24th of December 2021 might witness the return of 49-years old Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi, who had announced his intention to return to Libyan politics in March 2018, several months after he was released by the Zintan militia. The militia had captured him in November 2011, following the death of his father in battles amid the Arab Spring revolution that rocked the country in 2011. Despite a death sentence in absentia in July 2015, Saif Al-Islam was released in the summer of 2017 and was granted an amnesty by the Khalifa Haftar government shortly thereafter.
Sources reveal a secret visit by Saif al-Islam Gaddafi to Damascus.. What does he want from Assad?! | A homeland tweeting outside the flock https://t.co/nMpvT9RfXf عبر @Prime Time Zone
— munshikuf 2الاحتياطي (@munshikuf) June 29, 2021
? Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of former #Libyan leader #MuammarGaddafi is reportedly eyeing his country’s highest office in #Libya’s December 24 presidential contest. However, it is still unclear whether he will be allowed to run, as a new election law could exclude him.
— Bugra (@bozsyd) June 12, 2021
Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi has been reported to have paid a secret visit to the Syrian capital recently, during which he is believed to have received Russian support to run for elections in Libya.
Gaddafi's bid for the presidency might still face a number of obstacles, including the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court in 2017, accusing him of committing crimes against humanity during the war that erupted in the wake of the Arab Spring revolution in 2011.
Since his release, Gaddafi has been believed to be living in neighboring African countries, including Tunisia from which he had declared his intention to return for a political seat in the spring of 2018.
Formica magazine: #Libya’s Elections,
— Mete Sohtaoğlu (@metesohtaoglu) June 22, 2021
Khalifa Haftar and "Saif al-Islam", the son of the late Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, are preparing something behind the scenes. https://t.co/yUE7u83Y3u
Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi is one of seven surviving children of former Libyan leader Muammar Al-Gaddafi, who was killed in November 2011 along with three of his sons.
In addition to Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi, news sources are expecting an approaching announcement by Libyan military officer Khalifa Haftar to run for the presidency. Over the past decade, Hafatar has played a major role in the Libyan Civil War, mainly receiving support from Russia.
