Libya's parliament speaker says will run for presidency

The speaker of Libya's eastern-based parliament, Aguila Saleh, said Wednesday he would run in next month's presidential election, after a military strongman and the son of Libya's former dictator made similar announcements.

"I announce my candidacy for the presidency," Saleh said in a televised speech.

He said he would seek to "turn the page on conflict, look towards the future" and launch a process of national reconciliation, which he said was a "pillar of a stable nation".

"I commit to respecting the constitutional declaration, to guaranteeing the independency of the judiciary and preserving Libya's unity and independence," he said, adding that establishing a democratic system to guarantee freedoms, justice and equality for all was among his priorities.

Saleh still needs to register with the electoral commission to run in the December 24 poll.

His announcement comes a day after Libya's eastern military chief Khalifa Haftar, a Saleh ally, registered to run for the presidency.

That move came just days after Seif al-Islam Kadhafi, son of former dictator Moamer Kadhafi, declared his own candidacy, a decade after his father's death in a NATO-backed uprising.