Algeria's Bouteflika registers for April election

Algeria's President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is seen at the presidential palace in Algiers December 11, 2011. REUTERS/Louafi Larbi

ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika on Monday formally registered his candidacy for April's election, one of the few times the aging independence veteran has spoken in public since suffering a stroke last year.

Bouteflika's registration at the Constitutional Council - a formal step for his candidacy - ended months of speculation over his intentions. But opposition leaders say they believe the president, who just turned 77, is still too weak to run again after a decade and a half in power.