A Libyan court on Thursday allowed Saif al-Islam Gaddafi to run for president after accepting his appeal following a ruling that had him excluded from the Dec. 24 presidential polls.
"The Sabha Court of Appeal accepted the appeal submitted by Saif al-Islam Gaddafi and returned him back to the presidential elections race," private Libya al-Ahrar TV wrote on Twitter.
The ruling came after a militia affiliated with warlord Khalifa Haftar withdrew Tuesday from the Sabha Court after having it under seize for two days.
Gaddafi's lawyer said in a video that armed men had raided the court in the southern city of Sebha and stopped him entering to lodge his client's appeal against disqualificationhttps://t.co/yB3ljGe0H6
— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) November 26, 2021
They forced the court to close, preventing judges from looking into Gaddafi's appeal against his exclusion from the elections.
The UN mission in Libya threatened Monday to impose Security Council sanctions against "those obstructing the justice and electoral system."
Observers believe Gaddafi's return to the political scene poses a threat to Haftar's candidacy who relies on support from Gaddafi loyalists.
The Libyan Electoral Commission announced a primary list last week of 73 candidates for the election and another with 25 people excluded from running, including Gaddafi.
With Haftar and Muammar Gaddafi's son and a slew of other controversial presidential candidates, we unpack Libya's upcoming high-stakes election: https://t.co/XVGvRSSdRJ
— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) November 26, 2021
Libya’s presidential and parliamentary elections are set to take place under a UN-sponsored agreement reached by Libyan political rivals during meetings in Tunisia last November.
Libyans hope that the elections will contribute to ending an armed conflict that has plagued the oil-rich country for years.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
