Bouteflika to seek fifth term

LGIERS: Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is to seek a fifth term in April elections, state media announced yesterday, despite health issues that have kept him largely out of the public eye for years. The 81-year-old head of state, in power since 1999, declared his widely expected candidacy in a message to the nation. The president said he would set up an “inclusive national conference” to address “political, economic and social” issues and “propose an enrichment of the constitution”, Algeria’s official APS news agency reported. —