Protests erupted in the Libya capital Tripoli after the son of late ruler Moammar al-Gaddafi, Saif al-Islam, and Libyan National Army (LNA) commander, Khalifa Haftar, announced their run for president.
The elections commission said 24 figures have submitted their candidacy for the country's top post. Three applications were rejected because they failed to meet the required criteria, while 1.2 million people have so far received their voter cards.
Speaker of the east-based parliament, Aguila Saleh, had also submitted his candidacy on Saturday.
Meanwhile, head of the Government of National Unity (GNU), Abdulhamid Dbeibeh criticized on Saturday the electoral law, saying it was "politically tailored" to certain figures in order to "deprive the Libyans from determining their own fate."
"Failure to amend the error will cost us dearly and will compound the suffering of the Libyans," he warned.
Separately, head of the High Council of State, Khalid al-Mishri, reiterated that he would be boycotting the elections, saying he would neither run in the polls or vote in them.
He revealed a proposal to hold the parliamentary elections in mid-February.
"We want elections to be held based on the constitution or a constitutional foundation," he said, while demanding guarantees against vote fraud.
He expressed his doubts that the presidential and parliamentary elections will be held on time on December 24 in line with the United Nations-led roadmap aimed at helping Libya end its crisis.
In submitting his candidacy on Saturday, Saleh, who is close to Haftar, said the time has run out for amending the electoral laws.
In Tripoli, people took to the streets to protest against Saif al-Islam and Haftar's run for the presidency.
They held banners that read: "Insisting on holding the presidential elections without the constitution is a call for civil war."
Another banner read: "No to military rule or war criminals."
Protesters trampled on posters of Saif al-Islam and Haftar, while other brandished the Libyan and Amazigh flags.
