Libyan Court Says Gadhafi's Son Can Run for President Despite Past Convictions
The son of late Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi is allowed to run in upcoming presidential elections despite being convicted in the past of using violence against protestors, a Libyan court ruled Thursday.
The court's ruling reversed last week's decision by Libya's High National Elections Committee, the country's top electoral body, that prohibited Seif al-Islam Gadhafi from running for the presidential office, the Associated Press reported.
Moammar Gadhafi was overthrown and slain by a NATO-supported uprising in 2011, plunging the North African country into a decade of violence and disorder. The rebellion came after years of national division between a government in the east that was supported by commander Khalifa Hifter and a separate United Nations-backed administration in the Libyan capital of Tripoli, the AP reported.
The first round of voting is meant to start on December 24, though a number of divisive issues need to be resolved before then. It remains unclear whether any further legal challenges could be made to Seif al-Islam's candidacy.
https://www.newsweek.com/libyan-court-says-gadhafis-son-can-run-president-despite-past-convictions-1655627
