Seif al-Islam's campaign may focus on the failure of political parties and armed groups to establish a government capable of stabilizing and uniting the fractured country since the 2011 overthrow and killing of his father. Also widely expected to announce their bids are powerful military commander Khalifa Hifter, Parliament Speaker Agila Saleh and former Interior Minister Fathi Bashaga. Gadhafi’s son, who has deeply rooted links to tribes across Libya, is the first major presidential hopeful to submit his candidacy to run for the country’s highest post.
“The Court doesn’t comment on political issues, as for the legal side there is a pending warrant of arrest and that hasn’t changed," he said. ICC spokesman Fadi El Abdallah declined to comment on Seif al-Islam's candidacy. Seif al-Islam is wanted by the ICC on charges of crimes against humanity allegedly committed in the first weeks of the 2011 uprising. His candidacy is likely to stir controversy across the divided country. This July, he told The New York Times in an exclusive interview that he was considering a run for the country's top office. He was released in June 2017 after more than five years of detention. The second-born son to the longtime dictator, he was seen as the reformist face of the Gadhaf regime before the 2011 uprising. It was the first time in years that he appeared in public. The 49-year old, who earned a PhD at the London School of Economics, wore a traditional Libyan robe, turban and spectacles. In a video shared by an election official, Seif al-Islam addressed the camera, saying that God will decide the right path for the country's future. Moammar Gadhafi was killed in October 2011 amid the ensuing fighting that would turn into a civil war. Gadhafi’s son was captured by fighters in the town of Zintan late in 2011, the year when a popular uprising, backed by the NATO, toppled his father after more than 40 years in power. Seif al-Islam, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity related to the 2011 uprising, submitted his candidacy papers in the southern town of Sabha, 650 kilometers (400 miles) south of the capital of Tripoli, the High National Elections Commission said in a statement.
CAIRO - The son and one-time heir apparent of late Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi announced Sunday his candidacy for the country's presidential election next month, Libya's election agency said.
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