Seif Al Islam Gaddafi barred for presidential elections

In Libya, the High National Elections Commission has decided that Moammar Gaddafi's son, Seif Al Islam, is ineligible in planned December presidential election because "a criminal conviction".

In 2015, Seif Al Islam was found guilty and sentenced to death in absentia for war crimes committed during the violent revolt in 2011, which ended with the killing of his father. Since those events, Seif has constantly maintained his innocence. Nevertheless, he is also wanted by the ICC, who wants him tried for crimes against humanity.

Gaddafi was one of 25 candidates who were banned for the electoral process, along with Ali Zeidan, the former prime minister, and Nouri Abusahmain, ex-head of Libyan General National Congress. Earlier this month, marshal Khalifa Haftar presented himself for running in the incoming presidential elections.

Some Libyan observers believed that Seif Al Islam's participation in the presidential race would be a destabilizing influence in an already unstable political country's context. Indeed, it isn't yet clear whether the elections will be proceed as planned, due to ongoing intestine disputes.

The December 24 ballot is part of a plan backed by UN, in order to bring an end to the turmoil Libya has been involved in for the past decade. However, despite the very close approaching term, in the country there is still no agreed legal basis on which to hold the vote, and major political factions have refused to take part in the electoral process.