Liberia's election commission published a list Saturday of the 16 candidates for presidential elections next month, which includes all the main players despite fears a constitutional clause would exclude them.

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Winston Tubman of the main opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), and Charles Brumskine of the Liberty Party are among the candidates, which include three women.

"We could not disqualify any candidate from participating in this election because of the ten years residency clause," National Elections Commission Chairman James Fromoyan told AFP, as the constitution was "vague and ambiguous".

Liberia's constitution says any presidential candidate must have lived in the country for ten years to be eligible, which excludes most candidates including Sirleaf, who spent years in exile during the country's civil war.

The clause had been suspended in 2005 for the first polls after the 13-year war ended in 2003.

In August, the government attempted to change the residency requirement to five consecutive years in a referendum to open up the race and avoid ambiguity, but failed to have the change ratified.

Politicians have argued the constitution is not clear on whether the ten years needed to be consecutive.

Candidates have a month left to campaign for the October 11 poll, which will be the first organised by the National Election Commission and are seen as a litmus test of the country's post-war democracy.

The 2005 elections were run by the United Nations.