Voice of America
25 Nov 2021, 02:05 GMT+10
TRIPOLI - Libya's election commission said on Wednesday that Saif al-Islam Gadhafi, the son of the former ruler and a major candidate in December's planned presidential election, was ineligible to run, compounding the turmoil surrounding the vote.
Gadhafi was one of 25 candidates that it disqualified in an initial decision pending an appeals process that will ultimately be decided by the judiciary. Some 98 Libyans registered as candidates.
Disputes over the election rules, including the legal basis of the vote and who should be eligible to stand, threaten to derail an internationally backed peace process aimed at ending a decade of factional chaos.
The military prosecutor in Tripoli had urged the commission to rule out Gadhafi after his conviction in absentia on war crimes charges in 2015 for his part in fighting the revolution that toppled his father Muammar Gadhafi in 2011. He has denied wrongdoing.
Some of the other candidates initially approved by the commission had also been accused of possible violations by political rivals.
Interim prime minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah vowed not to run for president as a condition of taking on his present role, and did not stand down from it three months before the vote as is required by a contested election law.
Another prominent candidate, eastern commander Khalifa Haftar, is said to have U.S. nationality, which could also rule him out. Many people in western Libya also accuse him of war crimes committed during his 2019-20 assault on Tripoli.
Haftar denies warcrimes and says he is not a U.S. citizen. Dbeibah has described as 'flawed' the election rules issued in September by the parliament speaker Aguila Saleh, who is also a candidate.
U.N. Libya envoy Jan Kubis, who is stepping down from his post, told the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday that Libya's judiciary would make the final decision on the rules and on whether candidates were eligible.
Get a daily dose of Sierra Leone Times news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Sierra Leone Times.
More InformationNEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks ended with minor losses on Tuesday as investors and traders continued to navigate markets with continued...
DETROIT, Michigan: General Motors is hitting pause on production of its BrightDrop electric vans in Ontario, Canda, citing the need...
BERLIN, Germany: Talks between the EU and China could pave the way for a shift from tariffs to minimum price agreements on Chinese...
BEIJING, China: Tesla has halted new orders in China for its two U.S.-made premium models as trade tensions between Washington and...
NEW YORK, New York - Automakers and tech companies helped to lift U.S, stock indices Monday as stock markets around the world saw a...
NEW DELHI, India: India is pushing to fast-track a trade agreement with the United States following a temporary pause on new tariffs,...
(Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images) Anthony Santander hit a three-run homer and Alan Roden cracked his first major-league...
LONDON, 15th April, 2025 (WAM) -- Lana Nusseibeh, Assistant Minister for Political Affairs, headed the UAE delegation at the Conference...
GENEVA, 15th April, 2025 (WAM) -- Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, has warned that the ongoing war...
New Delhi [India], April 15 (ANI): The Women's Kabaddi World Cup 2025 will be held from June 1 to 10 in Rajgir, Bihar, confirmed the...
New Delhi [India], April 15 (ANI): India's G20 Sherpa, Amitabh Kant, emphasised the growing threat of cyber warfare, describing it...
Cape Town [South Africa], April 15 (ANI): INSV Tarini was ceremonially flagged off from the Royal Cape Yacht Club in Cape Town on April...