Today, Wednesday, the Speaker of the Libyan House of Representatives, Aguila Saleh, announced his candidacy for the presidential elections scheduled for December 24, bringing the number of people seeking to run in this race to 12.
Saleh said in a televised speech that "universal suffrage is the only source of legitimacy for any authority," adding that elections are "the only way out for preventing foreign interference, not dividing the country, unifying institutions and national reconciliation."
This comes a day after retired Libyan Major General Khalifa Haftar announced his candidacy for the presidential elections, and in the wake of a similar move on Sunday by Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi, son of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who is wanted internationally for crimes against humanity.
Aqila Saleh is facing criticism for his support of the failed military attack led by retired Major General Khalifa Haftar in April 2019 to control the capital, Tripoli, and bring down the internationally recognized Government of National Accord at the time.
Political forces also accuse Saleh of passing a presidential election law that would allow Haftar to run for the presidency.
Before Saleh announced his intention to run in the elections, the Libyan Electoral Commission said today that 11 people applied for their candidacy, including Khalifa Haftar, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi and former Prime Minister Ali Zaidan (2012-2014).
The Commission opened the door for candidacy for the elections on the eighth of this November, and continues to receive applications until the 22nd of the same month for the presidential elections, and the seventh of next December for the parliamentary elections.
The Commission says that it will check the candidates' data and then refer their files to the competent authorities to consider their validity or not, and then the preliminary lists will be announced to open the door for appeals, and after deciding on them, the Commission will announce the final lists.
The election date is approaching, in light of ongoing disagreements over the electoral laws between the House of Representatives on the one hand, and the Supreme Council of State (representative of the advisory body), the unity government and the Presidential Council on the other.