Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of former leader Muammar Gaddafi, signed up on Sunday (14) as a candidate for the Libyan presidency for the Dec. 24 elections, an election commission official said.
Photos distributed on social media showed Gaddafi in a traditional brown tunic and turban, with a gray beard and glasses, signing documents at the registration center in the southern city of Sebha.
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi is one of the most prominent figures expected to run for the presidency, on a list that also includes Eastern military commander Khalifa Haftar, Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah and Speaker of Parliament Águila Saleh.
While the former ruler’s son likely plays with nostalgia for the era before the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that ousted his father and sparked a decade of chaos and violence, analysts say he may not be a favorite.
The era of Muammar Gaddafi is still remembered by many Libyans as one of severe autocracy, while Saif al-Islam and other figures from the old regime have been out of power for so long that analysts believe it may be difficult to mobilize as much support as their main rivals.
Reference: CNN Brasil
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