Algeria's ailing president returns from medical checkups in Paris
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Algeria's president has returned home after a four-day medical trip to Paris to follow up on his treatment for a stroke last year.
The state news agency reported Thursday there had been a "net improvement" in President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's health and he returned 24 hours earlier than planned.
The 76-year-old suffered a stroke in April that left him convalescing in Paris for four months. He has appeared rarely in public since and can no longer stand on his own.
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Algeria will hold presidential elections in April and it is not yet clear if Bouteflika will run for a fourth term.
A key Western ally in the fight against terrorism, oil-rich Algeria has one of the most powerful militaries in the region.