Divisive Libyan commander announces candidacy for president

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CAIRO – Powerful Libyan commandant Khalifa Hifter connected Tuesday announced his bid to tally for president, submitting his candidacy arsenic adjacent month's long-awaited ballot faces increasing uncertainty.

The candidacy of Hifter, a divisive fig successful Libya, had been wide expected. He filed his candidacy papers successful the eastbound metropolis of Benghazi and announced successful a video that helium is seeking the country's highest station connected Dec. 24 to “lead our radical successful a fateful stage.”

He urged Libyans to ballot “with the highest levels of consciousness and responsibility” truthful the federation tin statesman rebuilding and reconciling aft a decennary of turmoil and civilian war.

Libya has been wracked by chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi successful 2011. The oil-rich federation had for years been divided betwixt a authorities successful the east, backed by Hifter, and a U.N.-supported medication successful Tripoli, aided by western-based Libyan militias. Each broadside has besides had the enactment of mercenaries and overseas forces from Turkey, Russia and Syria and antithetic determination powers.

Hifter, a dual U.S. and Libyan citizen, commands the self-styled Libyan Arab Armed Forces but delegated his subject duties successful September to his main of staff, Abdel-Razek al-Nadhouri, for 3 months, to conscionable candidacy terms.

Hifter’s announcement comes aft Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, the lad and one-time heir evident of the precocious dictator, announced his candidacy Sunday successful the confederate municipality of Sabha. Seif al-Islam, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court connected charges of crimes against humanity, spent the past years successful hiding aft he was released from a militia-run situation successful the municipality of Zintan successful June 2017.

The announcements by Hifter and Seif al-Islam person stirred controversy, particularly successful occidental Libya and the superior of Tripoli, the stronghold of their opponents, mostly Islamists.

Politicians and militia leaders person demanded that laws governing statesmanlike and parliamentary elections beryllium amended. They warned astir the instrumentality of civilian warfare if elections proceed with existent laws successful spot which, they say, let Hifter and Seif al-Islam to run.

Islamist Khalid al-Mishri, caput of the Tripoli-based Supreme Council of State, threatened successful televised comments to edifice to unit to forestall Hifter from taking bureau if helium is elected. Militias and protesters opposing Hifter and Seif al-Islam unopen down astatine slightest 2 polling stations successful occidental Libya, preventing voters from receiving their predetermination cards, according to section media.

The Dec. 24 ballot besides faces different challenges, including occasional infighting among equipped groups, and the heavy rift that remains betwixt the country’s eastbound and west, divided for years by the war, and the beingness of thousands of overseas fighters and troops.

Hifter’s forces besieged Tripoli successful a year-long run to effort to seizure the capital. The run yet failed past year, starring to U.N.-mediated talks and the enactment of a transitional authorities charged with starring Libya until the parliamentary and statesmanlike elections.

Hifter said successful his video that if elected, helium would prioritize defending Libya's “integrity and sovereignty.” He has antecedently modeled his enactment connected Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, a adjacent ally. Both person declared warfare connected coercion — applying the word not lone to extremist groups but besides much mean Islamists.

The 77-year-old served arsenic a elder serviceman nether Gadhafi but defected successful the 1980s during the ruinous warfare with Chad, successful which helium and hundreds of soldiers were captured successful an ambush. Hifter aboriginal spent much than 2 decades successful Washington, wherever helium is wide believed to person worked with the CIA, earlier returning to articulation the anti-Gadhafi uprising successful 2011.

Hifter’s prominence roseate arsenic his forces battled extremists and different rival factions crossed eastbound and aboriginal confederate Libya, areas present nether his control. He has the enactment of Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, arsenic good arsenic France and Russia.

Rights groups and activists person accused Hifter's forces of committing atrocities and targeting critics. Hifter is besides a suspect successful astatine slightest 3 abstracted national lawsuits filed successful an American tribunal wherever plaintiffs allege their loved ones were killed oregon tortured by his forces.

The lawsuits question millions of dollars successful damages that could beryllium recovered from spot that Hifter and his household inactive ain passim bluish Virginia.

Those lawsuits are present connected intermission due to the fact that the “litigation is excessively intimately intertwined with the elections successful Libya,” U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema wrote successful a Nov. 4 bid that stayed the cases.

Apart from Hifter and Gadhafi's son, besides wide expected to denote statesmanlike bids are Parliament Speaker Agila Saleh and erstwhile Interior Minister Fathi Bashaga.

Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah could besides go a contender. He said Monday he’ll tally for president if that’s what the radical want, but helium faces ineligible obstacles.

Under Libya’s elections laws, helium would person had to measurement down from authorities duties much than 3 months earlier an predetermination date. He besides pledged erstwhile helium was appointed to the interim presumption done U.N.-led talks that helium would not tally for bureau successful the authorities that succeeded his. Those talks were marred by allegations of bribery.

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