Qaddafi Son Barred From Running in Libya Presidential Election

(Bloomberg) -- Saif al-Islam Al Qaddafi, a son of Libya’s former dictator, was among 25 people excluded from running for president, injecting fresh drama into December’s potentially tumultuous elections in the OPEC member.

Qaddafi’s application was rejected due to an electoral rule that bars candidates who’ve been convicted of a felony or crime, according to a list published Wednesday by the High National Elections Commission. Rejected candidates can appeal the decisions.

Eastern military commander Khalifa Haftar and interim Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah were among 73 registered contenders who received preliminary approval to run, the commission’s website showed.

Qaddafi, 49, whose father Moammar ruled the North African nation for four decades until he was killed in 2011’s NATO-backed uprising, was later sentenced to death in absentia by a court in Tripoli for crimes including the killing of protesters. Held by a militia elsewhere in the country for years and released in 2017, he’s also wanted by the International Criminal Court.

Qaddafi’s appearance in southwestern Libya this month to register for the vote was his first public sighting in years, electrifying the Dec. 24 election that’s supposed to draw a line under a decade of conflict and upheaval. 

Former premier Ali Zaidan also had his application rejected.

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