ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — The main challenger to Algeria’s president in the last election joined a coalition of opposition figures and former ministers calling for the country’s ailing leader to step down, according to a statement published Thursday.

President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, 77, won re-election in May to a fourth term by a landslide despite hardly appearing during the campaign. He has made almost no appearances since and is believed to be very ill.

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