Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the United States had no right to object to Saif al-Islam Gaddafi's candidacy for the presidency of Libya in the elections scheduled for December 24, advising "the Americans and Europeans to let the Libyans decide for themselves."

"We know that Saif Gaddafi and in general the Gaddafi clan has many supporters, as for Field Marshal Haftar, Aguila Saleh, Abdulhamid Dabaiba and other participants in the presidential race," Lavrov added in a television interview with the Egyptian channel Ten TV. "We will call for Libyans to guarantee transparency and cleanliness in electoral processes themselves and to find the courage to recognize the outcome of their people’s choice.”

Washington is objecting to Saif al-Islam Gaddafi's candidacy for the presidency, which was demonstrated by the statements of the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Middle Eastern Affairs Joey Hood last month after Gaddafi's son submitted his candidacy papers considering him a "war criminal and is subject to United Nations and American sanctions.”

The US official also stated that "whoever runs for the presidential elections is a matter for the Libyan people to decide, but we will have many problems with the international community if a man like him is the president of Libya."