The strongman of eastern Libya Khalifa Haftar announced Tuesday his candidacy for the presidential election scheduled for December 24, in a speech broadcast live on television. The candidacy of Marshal Haftar, supported by key regional players involved in the Libyan issue such as Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, comes two days after that of Seif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of Muammar Gaddafi. On September 22, Marshal Haftar, 77, had temporarily stepped down as head of the self-proclaimed Libyan National Army (LNA), as stipulated by the electoral law, in order to be able to run for president. Since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in October 2011, Libya has been plagued by bloody violence and rival power struggles in the east and west of the country. Posted by North Africa Post North Africa Post's news desk is composed of journalists and editors, who are constantly working to provide new and accurate stories to NAP readers.

Source: The North Africa Journal November 17, 2021 12:03 UTC