ALGIERS, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Algeria on Friday announced a deadline of Oct. 26 for candidates to submit applications for the upcoming presidential elections.
The Algerian National Independent Authority for Elections (ANIE) announced the decision, the official Algeria Press Service news agency reported.
The ANIE said 139 candidates have registered to run for the elections, and the number may rise as the doors for potential candidates will remain open until the deadline.
The new organic law on the electoral system requires that presidential candidates submit at least 50,000 individual signatures of voters registered on an electoral list from at least 25 of the 48 Algerian states, and the minimum number of signatures required by each state is at least 1,200.
In mid-September, Algeria's interim President Abdelkader Bensalah announced that presidential elections will be held on Dec. 12.
Algeria has been gripped by mass protests since Feb. 22, which forced former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to resign on April 2.
