Benghazi, Libya, 16 November 2021 (dpa/MIA) - Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar will run in the presidential election due to be next month, he said on Tuesday. "I announce my candidacy for the presidential elections, not seeking power or searching for a status, but to lead our people during a crucial stage towards glory, progress and prosperity," Haftar said in a speech. Haftar leads the eastern-based, self-styled Libyan National Army. In September, he temporarily relinquished command of his forces, a move required according to the election law ratified by parliamentary speaker Aguila Saleh, also an ally of Haftar. The commission said that five people have submitted their presidential bids, yet that still does not include Haftar. Saif al-Islam, the son of late Libyan dictator Moamer Gaddafi, already filed his application to run for president. All applications still need to be finally approved. The registration deadline is on Monday. The December 24 elections are part of a United Nations-backed plan to end a decade of chaos in Libya, but it is unclear if the poll will happen in the fractured North African nation. Parliamentary elections have already been pushed to mid-February. Libya has been in turmoil since the 2011 overthrow of Gaddafi and has become a battleground for rival proxy forces that has drawn in foreign powers.