The son of late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi appeared for nearly the first time in a decade yesterday to register as a presidential candidate for a December vote planned to help end the years of chaos since his father was toppled.
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, 49, appeared in an electoral commission video in traditional brown robe and turban, and with a grey beard and glasses, signing documents at the election centre in the southern town of Sebha.
Gaddafi is one of the most prominent — and controversial — figures expected to run for president, a list that also includes eastern military commander Khalifa Haftar, Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah and parliament speaker Aguila Saleh.
But while his name is one of the best known in Libya, and though he once played a major role in shaping policy before the 2011 Nato-backed uprising that destroyed his family’s regime, he has barely been seen for a decade.