Gaddafi’s prodigal son has always dreamed of a stable father

In the days of the so-called reformist, Saif al Islam Gaddafi, the son of Libyan dictator Muammer Gaddafi, also called for his people to have the same rights as the Dutch.

But long ago it was a picture of modernizing the prince-in-expect. Gaddafi, who said this week he wants to run for president of Libya, is being questioned by the International Criminal Court (IAV) on charges of human trafficking in his father’s uprising in 2011. In the early days of the riots, he fired a shotgun and swore an oath of allegiance. that he would break the “riff raff”.

In his first public appearance, 49-year-old Gaddafi on Sunday submitted his candidacy for president south of Sebha. In a statement this week, he called on “all who have the dream of saving Libya from the civil war and the restoration of peace, stability, prosperity, brotherhood and civil peace…

Although the surname name is toxic to many Libyan people, experts say it would be wrong to lose its chance in the December 24 election, the first since the 2014 election that sparked the war. “It is difficult to say whether Saif can win,” said Claudia Gazzini, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group.

“But there is a large group of non-aligned youth who can vote for him because he would say he is one of the few people who has not been involved in the last few years.

Since the overthrow of his father, who was killed by terrorists, Libya has been divided, with two or more governments, or forces, fighting for power. The ceasefire between Khalifa Haftar’s forces, a major rebel group backed by the United Arab Emirates and Russia, and a coalition of forces in western Libya with the support of Turkey, has lasted for a year. In February, a coalition government was formed in Tripoli, the capital of western Libya, following UN-sponsored talks.

UN and Western governments are pushing for the December election as a way to unite Libya and provide it with a legitimate government that can disarm, restore stability and boost economy. The electoral commission has not yet decided who will be eligible and the vote is yet to be determined.

Most Libyans do not have a problem in the past when the country was stable, cohesive and prosperous even under the oppressive Muammer Gaddafi regime, experts say, and Gaddafi could benefit from this.

He spent six of the last ten years in a prison camp under the military regime of Zintan, a town in northwestern Libya. Since its release in 2017, it has met with several regions from around Libya, although it is still unclear what political message it has, if any.

“This has become a very secretive secret in Libya,” said Mohamed Dorda, director of the Libya Desk, a research and technology company. “Many people have visited him frequently, but it seems there has been a tremendous bargain not to discuss in public. There have been photos of 200 people sitting in a tent with Saif, but no videos or rumors have surfaced. Many Libyans I see here in Tunisia tell me I met Saif last week.

Gaddafi has a division among the Libyan tribes in central and southern Libya, experts say, although it opposes the “green” vote – in terms of those who supported Gaddafi ‘s regime, it should be divided among several members of the ousted government. . These include Bashir Saleh, a former Gaddafi ally and finance minister. Haftar also offered his chance.

The welcome given to Gaddafi’s representation in some areas will enhance his role as a power broker, Dorda said, although in the western part of Libya people have been increasingly angry, which is a safe haven for anti-Gaddafi militants.

A U.S. spokesman told Al Jazeera television that Washington had no role in Gaddafi’s role, but considering that he was wanted by the ICC, Libyans should ask themselves who was the “best man” to represent them abroad. Russia, which has opposed the ouster of his father, favors Gaddafi’s role in Libyan politics to protect his interests. “Russia will be in a better position,” Gazzini said.

He also said that it was Gaddafi’s history as a revolutionary, even if it was small and hypocritical, that would prevent him from receiving the support of the Gaddafi regime.

His efforts helped to soften the image of Gaddafi’s dictatorship in western cities that showed interest in seeking oil wealth in Libya after years of punishment and discrimination. He also called for the reorganization of Libya, aiding and abetting talks on the victims of the Pan Am bombing of Lockerbie in Scotland in 1988 when a Libyan official was sentenced in 2001 by a Scottish court.

In a government where no disagreement was allowed, Gaddafi criticized the government and called for a constitutional order and respect for human rights. He oversaw the release in 2010 of about 200 Islamist terrorists arrested and most of them imprisoned after their sentences.

“Courageous people who rule [are not likely to support him]. “They do not consider him to be a former president,” Gazzini said. “He is regarded as a criminal and is accused of releasing criminals who started the riots. But if they are allowed to flee the war and the war does not start they have a good chance of getting the votes of the majority of the unarmed young people. ”