Son of former Libyan ruler Qadhafi runs for president

Saif Al Islam Al Qadhafi, son of Libya's former leader Muammar Al Qadhafi, registered on Sunday as a presidential candidate for the Dec. 24 election, an official from the electoral commission said.

Qadhafi is one of the most prominent figures expected to run for president — a list that also includes eastern military commander Khalifa Haftar, Prime Minister Abdulhamid Al Dbeibah and parliament speaker Aguila Saleh.

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Photographs distributed on social media showed Qadhafi in traditional brown robe and turban, and with a grey beard and glasses, signing documents at the registration centre in the southern town of Sebha.

Despite the public backing of most Libyan factions and foreign powers for elections on Dec. 24, the vote is still in doubt as rival entities squabble over the rules and schedule.

Saif Al Islam Qadhafi flashes the V-sign for victory as he appears in front of supporters in Tripoli. AFP

A major conference in Paris on Friday agreed to sanction any who disrupt or prevent the vote, but there is still no agreement on rules to govern who should be able to run.

While Qadhafi is likely to play on nostalgia for the era before the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that swept his father from power and ushered in a decade of chaos and violence, analysts say he may not prove to be a front runner, according to Reuters.

The Qadhafi era is still remembered by many Libyans as one of harsh autocracy, while Saif Al Islam and other former regime figures have been out of power for so long they may find it difficult to mobilise as much support as major rivals.