Dabaiba intends to run for the presidency of Libya

A senior official in the Libyan National Unity Government said on Sunday that Prime Minister Abdel Hamid Dabaiba intends to run for the presidency next month.

Dabaiba has gained popularity thanks to massive public spending programs after years of civil war and may be the frontrunner to win as Libya's first directly elected president since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi nearly a decade ago.

Dabaiba and members of the government had pledged not to run for president when they were chosen for the national unity government, which replaced two rival governments, one in the east and the other in the west, after years of war.

The senior official told Reuters, a day before registration officially opened for candidates, that Dabaiba had announced his intention to run for the upcoming presidential elections.

Other potential candidates include Khalifa Haftar, Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi, Aqila Saleh, Speaker of Parliament, and Fathi Bashagha, a former interior minister.

The law set presidential elections on December 24, but said that parliamentary elections would be held at a later date.

Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news