Gaddafi’s son has right to run for president, says Libya’s army chief


Saif Islam Gaddafi, the son of late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, has every right to run for president, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, the head of the Libyan National Army, said.

When asked about Saif Islam Gaddafi’s plans to run in the upcoming presidential election, the army chief said: “He is a Libyan citizen.

If the legal conditions are met, it is his natural right (to participate in the elections).”

The field marshal added that it was not his concern “if he (Gaddafi) is in the country or abroad”.

He added: “I do not know where he is now and there is no communication between us, but this, of course, doesn’t mean any disagreement or enmity.

“Our enemies are the terrorists, and everyone who carries arms against the citizens, attacks the sanctity of the people, preys on their dignity, loots the wealth of Libyans and jeopardises the safety of the country.”

Haftar’s LNA, which controls the east of the country, has emerged as one of the major forces in Libya after Muammar Gaddafi’s government was toppled and the Libyan leader himself was killed in 2011.

The UN-backed Government of National Accord led by Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj controls the west of the country.

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