The head of Libya’s national unity government has indicated he plans to run for president next month, despite vowing to remain neutral when he took office in March under a UN-backed peace process, Reuters reported.
Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah has gained popularity through public spending programs after years of civil war, and could become the first directly elected Libyan head of state since Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown a decade ago.
But there is a catch. When Dbeibah and other cabinet members were appointed to the Government of National Unity, which replaced two rival administrations after years of conflict between factions based in the east and west, they pledged not to run for president.
The rival political parties in Libya are divided over the elections’ legal basis, the rules related to candidacy, and even the date.
Khalifa Haftar, the main commander in the civil war from the east, as well as Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of the former dictator, are also candidates.