Algerian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika met with visiting Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev recently, only the second time he has hosted a foreign official this year.

Some politicians have made an appeal to be able to replace an ailing president. His opponents feel his team may press him to seek another term in 2019 even though he has rarely been viewed publicly since a stroke four years ago.

Bouteflika helped bring his country back together after years of dealing with insurgents. Algeria is having a difficult time economically due to falling oil prices around the globe.