Updated:
One month before the planned presidential election in Libya, the country wants to have the legitimacy of the candidacies of almost 100 applicants checked.
Tripoli – Their documents have now been sent to the criminal police and the General Prosecutor’s Office, among others, the election commission of the civil war country announced on Tuesday. The ballot paper could be long: According to the election commission, a total of 98 candidates for the presidency have submitted their documents to the authorities by the deadline on Monday. Among them are two women. The election is scheduled for December 24th.
Some candidates are controversial, notably the powerful general Khalifa Haftar and Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi. The son of the former long-term ruler Muammar al-Gaddafi had supported the brutal crackdown on protests against his father. The International Criminal Court (ICC) demands his extradition. There have already been protests in the country against both candidates.
Because of the ongoing clashes between the political camps, it is still unclear whether the elections will actually take place. Libya was engulfed in civil war after Gaddafi’s violent death in 2011. This spring a transitional government was formed under UN mediation to lead the country to elections. The head of the transitional government, Abdul Hamid Dbaiba, is also on the list of candidates for the presidency. However, his candidacy violates the UN plan.
The unstable country also has important routes for migrants looking for a route across the Mediterranean to Europe. The local situation is disastrous for them. Several migrants and organizations filed criminal charges against Libyan militia leaders with the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Tuesday. They are said to have tortured, enslaved and murdered refugees. (dpa)
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