The son of Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan despot whose toppling characterized the Arab Spring, emerged in public for the first time in 10 years to run for president

• Muammar Gaddafi ruled Libya until he was ousted by a NATO-backed intervention in 2011.
• The country has been in political turmoil since, with the military and government dividing rule.

The son of the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi ended a decade-long silence to announce he was running for president, Reuters reported.

Gaddafi ruled Libya for 42 years until he was toppled by a NATO-backed intervention in 2011, following protests that swept the country as part of the Arab Spring.

Gaddafi was killed by rebel fighters while trying to escape from the capital city of Tripoli. Control of the country is now split between the official government and the Libyan National Army, with ISIS also maintaining a sizeable presence.

On Sunday, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the second son of Muammar Gaddafi, appeared at a registration center in the city of Sebha to put his name forward to run in the December 24 presidential election, Reuters reported.

Video posted by Reuters showed the younger Gaddafi wearing traditional Libyan clothing and signing documents at the center.

While his father ruled Libya, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi served as his right-hand man and heir-apparent.

After his father's fall, he was captured by a Libyan militia and released in 2016, Reuters reported. During his capture, he was sentenced to death for war crimes by Libya's rulers, but the sentence was later overturned.

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi was last seen in public in 2011, appearing over a video link during a court hearing.