Aguila Saleh, the Speaker of Libya’s House of Representatives, publicly announced that he will run for president in the elections on December 24.
In a televised speech, Saleh said, if elected, he will work to “transcend the past, turn the page of conflict, look to the future, and launch national reconciliation as a main pillar for building the nation and its stability”.
He stressed that public vote is “the only source of legitimacy” and that “the civil character of the state must be preserved”.
The 77-year-old served as parliament speaker since his election on August 2014 and remains in the post until this day. He was placed under sanctions by the European Union and the U.S. before was removed from the blacklist in 2020.
According to the latest data from the High National Election Commission (HNEC), 10 candidates has so far officially made a bid for the presidency, including Saif al-Islam Muammar Gaddafi and Khalifa Haftar.
The deadline for presidential candidacy filing is November 22nd. After that, the HNEC will vet all the applicants and present a final list of those allowed to compete in the first round of the presidential race.