By AFPMore by this AuthorAlgiers,Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who on Monday announced he is pulling out of a bid for a fifth term, is Algeria's longest-serving president and a veteran of the independence struggle who held on to power during years of ill health. I am the embodiment of the Algerian people," he said in 1999, the year he became president. Bouteflika has had a history of medical problems and often flew to France or Switzerland for treatment. When independence came in 1962, he was appointed minister of sport and tourism at the age of just 25, under Algeria's first president, Ahmed Ben Bella. Bouteflika returned from Switzerland in 1999 to stand for president with the backing of the army which saw in him a potential figure of reconciliation.

Source: Daily Nation March 12, 2019 05:48 UTC