Libyan premier Dbeibeh applies for presidential bid

TRIPOLI, Libya

Libya’s prime minister applied for candidacy for the presidential elections slated on Dec. 24.

"I became a candidate to serve you (the public),” Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, who made an application to the Libyan High Election Commission in person, told the media.

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, ousted leader Muammar Gaddafi's son, applied for candidacy on Nov. 14, and Khalifa Haftar, the leader of the illegitimate armed forces in the east of the country, on Nov. 16.

Last Friday, hundreds of people gathered in the capital Tripoli to protest the candidacy of Gaddafi and Haftar.

So far, 56 people have submitted applications to run in Libya’s presidential election, according to the elections commission.

On March 16, Dbeibeh became the oil-rich country’s premier following a breakthrough in February in which rival Libyan sides agreed to a new executive authority.

Libya’s presidential and parliamentary elections are set to take place on Dec. 24 under a UN-sponsored agreement reached by Libyan political rivals during meetings last November in Tunisia.

The country’s electoral commission on Nov. 8 opened registration for candidates in next month’s polls despite ongoing tensions between the parliament, the High Council of State, and the unity government over electoral powers and laws.

Applications for presidential candidacy will be accepted until Nov. 22, while until Dec. 7 for parliamentary polls.

Dbeibeh is seen as one of the frontrunners for the country’s presidency.