Dr. Aref Ali Nayed, the chairman of the Libya Institute for Advanced Studies and a presidential candidate, told Sputnik in an interview that he welcomed the intentions of Saif Gaddafi, the son of late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, to run in the country's presidential election.
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st November, 2018) Dr. Aref Ali Nayed, the chairman of the Libya Institute for Advanced Studies and a presidential candidate, told Sputnik in an interview that he welcomed the intentions of Saif Gaddafi, the son of late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, to run in the country's presidential election.
In March, media reported that Gaddafi's son, who had been detained for six years by militia before being released in June 2017, was planning to run for president. Nayed, on the other hand, is the only person that has officially and publicly announced his intention to run for president.
"In principle, the desire to run for the next elections was expressed through lawyers in Tunisia. We have yet to hear from Saif al-Islam himself. There has been no video of him and there has been no written statement of him. In principle, I believe that he and any other Libyan has the right to run, and I encourage him to run," Nayed said.
He stressed that the Libyan people should have the opportunity to choose between different people and different visions for the country's future.
"I hope that the Libyan people will have the opportunity of selecting amongst multiple names, and not just being stuck with Names they might not like. Everyone has the right to say what their program is ... I am sure that if Saif al-Islam runs he will have his own vision, and the Libyan people can choose among these visions," Nayed said.
The candidate noted that his team was conducting opinion polls and surveys among voters, but refused to divulge their results until the vote was over.
"But if my chances were so tiny, maybe I would not have dared to run," Nayed added.
In May, representatives of the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), headquartered in Tripoli, on one side, and the authorities operating in the east of the country on the other, agreed that the country would hold parliamentary and presidential elections on December 10. The sides also agreed to work on uniting their security forces.
Libya has been torn apart by conflict since its long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown in 2011. The eastern part of the country is governed by the parliament, backed by the Libyan National Army (LNA) and located in Tobruk. The UN-backed GNA is headed by Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj.
