Khaled Zaidi told reporters in the city of Sebha that the hearing could not take place because "the employees of the court and judges were forced out at gunpoint".

He described the move as "unacceptable and uncivilised" and warned it would have "implications on the election process".

The electoral commission had rejected the candidacy of several applicants for the presidential race including Mr Gaddafi - the son of Libya's late leader Muammar Gaddafi - citing legal reasons.

Mr Gaddafi is wanted by the international criminal court for alleged war crimes during the popular uprising against his late father’s rule.

Libyan military prosecutors had asked the electoral commission to stop processing the paperwork of both Mr Gaddafi and warlord Khalifa Haftar until they are questioned over criminal charges brought against them.

On Thursday, a Misrata court issued a death sentence in absentia against Mr Haftar for bombing Misrata's military college in 2019 and killing Libyan soldiers during his rebellion against the national unity government.

The candidacy of Mr Haftar for the presidential elections seems to have been validated by the electoral commission.