Libya, Nov 24 (TIWN) A total of 98 candidates, including two females, have submitted applications for the first direct presidential election in Libya.

Emad Al-Sayeh, Chairman of the High National Elections Commission, said that 98 people have submitted applications for presidential candidacy, and a primary list of candidates will be published in two days, reports Xinhua news agency.  Most of the political and military figures, as well as a large number of activists, academics, and artists are running for president.  Abdulhakim Bayo, the first presidential candidate submitted an application to the Elections Commission, said the upcoming elections are the first democratic elections in the North African country since 2011.  "I am positive that these elections are a chance for me to serve my country," Bayo told Xinhua.  The House of Representatives, the country's Parliament, approved the presidential election law in September and approved the parliamentary election law in October.  According to the laws, the President will be elected at the end of December by direct general secret ballots, while the parliament will be elected after a month from the presidential election.  The most notable presidential candidates include Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi; Khalifa Haftar, the commander of the eastern-based army; Aguila Saleh, the speaker of Parliament; and Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah, the incumbent Prime Minister.  The elections are part of a roadmap adopted by the UN-sponsored Libyan Political Dialogue Forum in February, with the aim to bring stability to Libya.