On 2 February, the ruling coalition parties had a meeting and announced the candidature of President Bouteflika for the elections scheduled in April. The four coalition partners stated that “The parties of the presidential coalition nominate Abdelaziz Bouteflika for the upcoming presidential elections”. Abdelaziz Bouteflika, 82 years old, is in power since 1999 but he has rarely been seen in public since a stroke in 2013. The Algerian PM Ahmed Ouyahia attended the meeting and declared that Bouteflika’s health is not “an obstacle” for his duties as president. Two of the main opposition parties (the Front of Socialist Forces and the Islamist “Society of Peace”) decided to boycott the elections, while the former PM Ali Benflis announced his candidature.