TRIPOLI, 26 November 2021, (TON): Libya's top electoral body said that the son and one-time heir apparent of the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi is disqualified from running in presidential elections that are supposed to take place next month.

According to a list of barred candidates issued by the country's High National Elections Committee, Seif al-Islam Gaddafi is ineligible because of previous convictions against him.

He can appeal the committee's decision in court within the coming days.

Seif al-Islam was sentenced to death by a Tripoli court in 2015 for use of violence against protesters who were calling for his father to step down, but that ruling has since been called into question by Libya's rival authorities.

He is also wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity related to the 2011 uprising against his father.

Libya is set to hold the first round of its presidential elections on Dec 24, after years of United Nations-led attempts to usher in a more democratic future and bring the country’s war to an end.