Could Muammar Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam be the next Libyan president?

The son of late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, Saif al-Islam, is planning to run in the 2018 presidential elections.

Libyan tribal chief Basem al-Hashimi al-Soul confirmed the candidacy of Saif al-Islam on Sunday (17 December).

"Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of the former Libyan president, enjoys the support of major tribes in Libya so he can run for the upcoming presidential elections due in 2018," Soul told Egypt Today.

"The platform includes some procedures that Saif al-Islam hopes the United Nations would adopt to help Libya move from the incumbent transitional period to stability," he added.

"Saif al-Islam plans to impose more security and stability in accordance with the Libyan geography and in coordination with all Libyan factions."

Gaddafi's second oldest son was seen as his father's probable successor in 2011 when the Libyan leader was ousted and killed by militants.

In the years before the civil war broke out, Saif al-Islam had carved out influence in his father's regime. He was instrumental in negotiations that led Libya to abandon its weapons of mass destruction programme and played a prominent role in several diplomatic missions. American State Department officials viewed him as Libya's "de facto" prime minister.

After his father's death, he appeared on national television and declared: "I am in Libya, I am alive and free and willing to fight to the end and take revenge."

Shortly afterwards, he was captured by Libyan militia belonging to the Abu Bakr al-Sadiq Brigade, based in Zintan, one of the largest cities in northwest Libya.

He was released after spending more than five years in captivity in 2015. A court in Tripoli has sentenced him to death in absentia for war crimes, but authorities have refused to hand Gaddafi over and human rights organisations have criticised the trial.

Libyan Foreign Minister Mohamed Siala said last week that elections will be held "in the middle of 2018".