By Abbas Mimouni
ALGIERS, Algeria (AA) - The Algerian independent elections authority announced on Friday that it has received files from 16 candidates for the upcoming presidential elections, including the current president, Abdelmajid Tebboune.
According to the Algerian official channel, 16 candidates have completed their legal files out of the 35 who initially declared their intention to run for president in the elections slated for Sept. 7.
The Algerian electoral authority said that it has begun reviewing the documents submitted by the candidates and will provide final approval on the candidates' files within seven days.
Tebboune earlier announced that he will run for a second presidential term based on the desire of several political parties, including the former ruling party the National Liberation Front, Democratic National Rally, Future Front and National Construction Movement.
Under Algeria's electoral law, a candidate should submit a list of 600 signatures of municipal, state, or parliamentary members in at least 29 provinces, or a list of 50,000 signatures of eligible voters in at least 29 provinces, with a minimum 1,200 signatures in each province.
*Writing by Ahmed Asmar