The Electoral Commission in Libya announced that it accepted the nomination papers of Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi for the presidency of Libya.
At a time when political currents confirmed their rejection of the move, both the Libyan military and criminal courts demanded that he be handed over to trial.
The Electoral Commission said that "Saif al-Islam, 49, submitted his candidacy papers for the presidency, and submitted his candidacy documents to the Electoral Administration Office in Sabha (south), completing the legal justifications."
The rules for conducting these elections remain a matter of contention between rival Libyan factions, and the legal status of Saif al-Islam remains a matter of debate. He is on death row in Libya for war crimes and is wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.
Saif al-Islam is the son of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, who was revolted by the Libyans in 2011, and was killed in Sirte after spending 4 decades in power.
After the revolution, Saif al-Islam was the second person to defend the regime, and he appeared on Libyan television more than once defending his father, criticizing the revolutionaries, threatening them and describing them as "agents and traitors."
In mid-May 2011, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, submitted a request to the ICC to issue warrants for the arrest of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi.
On July 28, 2015, an appeals court in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, issued a death sentence by firing squad against 9 symbols of the Gaddafi regime, including his son Saif al-Islam, former Libyan intelligence director Abdullah al-Senussi, and the last prime minister during his reign, al-Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi.
After submitting his candidacy file for the presidency, Saif al-Islam returned to the top of the legal and political debate in Libya.
For his part, the Public Prosecutor in the Military Prosecutor's Office demanded that the commission stop the procedures for the candidacy of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi and retired Major General Khalifa Haftar for the presidential elections until they complete the investigation into a number of cases.
square one
Likewise, the leaders of the revolutionaries and the wise men of the city of Al-Zawiya (west of Tripoli) announced their rejection of the candidacy of Gaddafi's son and warned that his candidacy for the elections, together with Khalifa Haftar, would bring Libya back to square one.
Meanwhile, the International Criminal Court said that the arrest warrant issued against Saif al-Islam is still valid.
In the same context, the President of the Libyan Presidential Council, Muhammad Al-Manfi, said that serious steps are being taken in Libya towards a settlement regarding the elections scheduled for next December.
In an interview with Reuters, Al-Minfi expressed his optimism that the elections would be held on time, with the consensus of the Libyans.
Al-Manafi added that he is not worried about the candidacy of any Libyan figure who meets the legal requirements for candidacy.
In a statement on the results of the Paris conference, the council praised the efforts of the High National Elections Commission, and demanded that it provide accessible polling stations.
The statement stressed the importance of international efforts to help secure and monitor the electoral process.
He called for providing technical and logistical support to the competent Libyan authorities, including securing the headquarters of the Electoral Commission, its branches and polling stations.