A source in Libya's High Electoral Commission revealed to "Sky News Arabia" on Wednesday that Saif al-Islam Qaddafi, the son of the late Colonel Muammar Qaddafi, has been excluded from the list of candidates for the presidential elections scheduled for December 24. The source, who preferred to remain anonymous, stated that Qaddafi is one of the prominent names among the 25 candidates who have been excluded, which also includes Bashir al-Sharqawi, Nuri Muhammad Abu Sahmein, Muhammad al-Sharif, and Adel al-Lafi. Recently, a source from the commission announced the exclusion of 25 candidates from a total of 98 in a preliminary filtering process.
It is expected that the commission will later on Wednesday publish the complete list of names deemed eligible to participate in the elections, pending appeals from the excluded candidates, with the final decision resting with the Libyan judiciary. On Tuesday, the commission's chairman, Imad al-Saih, announced that the final number of candidates for the presidential elections reached 98, including two women. Al-Saih stated in a press conference at the commission's headquarters in Tripoli that "the registration system recorded a total of 98 candidates who provided the required documents as stipulated by the candidate registration regulations."
He added, "After verifying the accuracy of the candidates' data by referring it to the relevant authorities, the preliminary list will be published to allow interested parties to contest the names listed, in accordance with the regulations issued by the Supreme Judicial Council." The registration period for presidential candidates closed on Monday after being open for two weeks.
Most prominent figures have submitted their candidacies for the presidential elections, where Libyans will choose a president through direct voting for the first time in the country's history. Leading this list is Saif al-Islam Qaddafi, alongside Army Commander Khalifa Haftar, interim government Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibeh, and House of Representatives Speaker Aguila Saleh. Two women have also registered: Leila Ben Khalifa (46 years old), head of the National Movement Party, and Hanida Mahdi, a social sciences researcher.
Al-Saih specified that "1.7 million voter cards have been distributed from a total of more than 2.8 million cards targeted for distribution, which will continue until November 28." It is noted that Libya has a population of approximately 7 million. Additionally, the number of candidates for the parliamentary elections at the beginning of next year exceeds 1,700, while the registration process continues until December 6.
