Gadhafi's son disqualified from running for upcoming Libyan presidential election

Benghazi: As Libya is set to hold the first round of presidential elections on December 24, the country's top electoral body on Wednesday disqualified the son and one-time heir apparent of the late dictator Moammar Gadhafi from running for president in elections

The name of Seif al-Islam Gadhafi appeared on a list of ineligible candidates issued by the country's High National Elections Committee. He can appeal the decision in court in the coming days.The top electoral body cited Islam's previous convictions as the reason for disqualification.

Seif al-Islam, who was wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity related to the uprising had been sentenced to death by a Tripoli court in 2015 for using violence against protesters in a 2011 uprising against his father. The ruling has since been called into question by Libya's rival authorities. He is also

The son of Libya's former dictator submitted his candidacy papers in the southern town of Sabha on November 14. It was the first time in years that the 49-year-old, who earned a PhD at the London School of Economics, appeared in public.

He had been captured by fighters in the town of Zintan late in 2011, as the uprising ended his father's rule after 40 years. Seif al-Islam was released in June 2017.

The announcement of his possible candidacy stirred controversy across the divided country, where a number of other high-profile candidates have also emerged in recent weeks. Among them are powerful military commander Khalifa Hifter and the country's interim prime minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah.

Meanwhile, adding to the concerns surrounding the election, the UN's top envoy for Libya, Jan Kubis submitted his resignation last week, though he said Wednesday he is prepared to stay on through the vote if needed.

The Geneva-based diplomat serves as both special envoy for Libya and head of the UN political mission in the country. He told the Security Council on Wednesday that he is leaving to facilitate a change he considers vital: moving the mission chief's job to Tripoli to be on the ground at a high-stakes moment for Libya.

The long-awaited vote still faces challenges, including unresolved issues over laws governing the elections, and occasional infighting among armed groups. Other obstacles include the deep rift that remains between the country's east and west and the presence of thousands of foreign fighters and troops.

Following the 2011 overthrow and killing of Moammar Gadhafi, oil-rich Libya spent most of the last decade split between rival governments one based in the capital, Tripoli, and the other in the eastern part of the country.

Each side in the civil war has also had the support of mercenaries and foreign forces from Turkey, Russia and Syria and other regional powers.