Watan- In a recent development, Al-Sadiq Haftar, the eldest son of retired Libyan General Khalifa Haftar, who is pursued by the US judiciary, expressed his openness to running in the presidential elections. However, he emphasized that Libya’s presidential elections can only take place if the nation is stable and under a new unity government, as reported by Watanserb.
According to Reuters, Al-Sadiq Haftar, who doesn’t hold any military responsibilities unlike his 79-year-old father, has been increasingly enhancing his public image and social media presence. This comes amidst uncertainties regarding whether his father still intends to run for the presidency in the future.
In an interview conducted in Paris, the 43-year-old Al-Sadiq defended his family’s role in the country and portrayed himself as a representative of Libya’s younger generation. He stated, “I believe I have all the means to pacify and stabilize Libya, achieving cohesion and unity among Libyans.”
When asked about his potential candidacy in future presidential elections, he mentioned that it would depend on the circumstances at that time but emphasized that if he were to run, he would represent all Libyans.
Libya has seen little peace or security since the NATO-backed uprising in 2011 and was divided in 2014 between warring eastern and western factions. Despite a major war cessation following a ceasefire in 2020, trust remains minimal among the main faction leaders.
Before the presidential elections, the United Nations aims to conduct legislative elections across the country. They indicated that before any such move, there should be a unified government agreed upon by all major players to lead the country to elections.
The internationally recognized Libyan unity government in Tripoli, led by Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, has not been accepted by the eastern parliament since early 2021 after a failed attempt to conduct national elections.
In this context, Al-Sadiq Haftar stated that he has no “personal” issue with the current government but emphasized the need for a new technocratic government with a clear mandate to prepare for elections.
The unresolved risks of the Libyan conflict were evident last month when armed factions clashed in Tripoli, resulting in the death of 55 people in the worst fighting there in years.
Commenting on this, Al-Sadiq Haftar mentioned that elections cannot be conducted without stabilizing the security situation throughout the country. He concluded, “Without stability, Libyan presidential elections cannot be free.”