Osama Al-Rajhi, Deputy Mayor of Tripoli Central Municipality, has reportedly been abducted by armed men shortly after announcing his candidacy for Libya’s upcoming municipal elections.
According to well-informed sources, Al-Rajhi was kidnapped on Sunday, by members believed to be affiliated with the Internal Security Agency, led by Lotfi Al-Harari.
He was taken to an undisclosed location, and his fate remains unknown. No official statement has been issued regarding his arrest or whereabouts.
The incident appears to be part of a broader campaign targeting candidates running for local office.
Sources claim the campaign is being carried out under directives from Ibrahim Dabaiba, an advisor to the head of the Government of National Unity, headed by Abdulhamid Dbaiba.
This campaign has reportedly focused on excluding technocratic candidates—such as engineers and academics—from participating in the elections, without any legal justification.
Several candidates have allegedly faced pressure to withdraw from the race, and some were accused of being linked to the political current of presidential hopeful Saif al-Islam Gaddafi.
In some cases, candidates were forced to drop out in favor of government-backed figures whose names were submitted on preferred electoral lists to the High National Elections Commission.
Sources suggest that this coordinated effort stems from concerns within the Dabaiba administration and security leadership over the growing popularity of Saif al-Islam’s movement.
In the first round of municipal elections, his political current reportedly secured strong results in several municipalities, raising fears of losing influence in key localities.
The reported abduction of Al-Rajhi and the broader pattern of exclusion and intimidation raise serious concerns about the integrity and fairness of Libya’s electoral process.
With municipal elections seen as a step toward restoring democratic governance, such acts threaten to undermine public trust and political legitimacy.
