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Fewer than a dozen presidential hopefuls submitted on Thursday their candidacies for Algeria's upcoming election, including the incumbentÌýPresident Abdelmadjid Tebboune, 78, who remains the frontrunner.

Tebboune, who was elected in 2019 following months of pro-democracy protests that led to the ousting of longtime president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, announced last week that he would seek a second term.

"I filed my candidacy as stipulated by law," he said on Thursday. "I thank all those who support me, parties, organisations and citizens."

Tebboune announced in March that the election would be held on September 7, three months ahead of schedule, but gave no reason for the decision.

Algeria, home to some 45 million people, is Africa's largest country by area.

The hydrocarbon-rich nation is the continent's main natural gas supplier, with neighbouring Tunisia, Spain and Italy heavily reliant onÌýAlgerian gas.

The country ranks 136 out of 180 countries and territories in the World Press Freedom Index published by media watchdog Reporters Without Borders.

In February, rights watchdog Amnesty International said that five years after the pro-democracy protests erupted, Algerian authorities had "escalated their repression of peaceful dissent".

Youcef Aouchiche, a candidate from the Socialist Forces Front, Algeria's oldest opposition party, on Thursday said submitting his candidacy was challenging.

"Despite the many obstacles and the climate that was not conducive to political work, we were able to overcome that stage," said Aouchiche, whose party has a strong electoral base in the Berber-majority Kabylie region.

To qualify to appear on the ballot, candidates are required to present a list of at least 50,000 individual signatures from registered voters or from 600 members from at least 29 of Algeria's various provincial assemblies.

After the leader of the Algerian Workers' Party,ÌýLouisa Hanoune, dropped out of the race last week, only two female candidates - businesswoman Saida Neghza and lawyer Zoubida Assoul - remain in contention.

In a press conference before officially submitting her candidacy, Neghza said she hoped that "the electoral process takes place in a climate of transparency and integrity, without any favouritism".

Abdelaali Hassani, the leader of the Movement of Society for Peace (MSP), Algeria's main Islamist party, was first to kick off the candidate submissions Thursday morning.

The final list of hopefuls for the election will be published on July 27.

Contenders have until midnight local time (2300 GMT) to file the submissions.

In total, fewer than a dozen are expected to submit their candidacies by then, with Tebboune, endorsed by several political parties, remaining the favourite.