Algeria's president says he will step down before April 28

FILE - In this April 28, 2014 file photo, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika sits in a wheelchair after taking oath as President, in Algiers. Algeria's powerful army chief said Tuesday March 26, 2019 that he wants to trigger the constitutional process that would declare President Abdelaziz Bouteflika unfit for office, after more than a month of mass protests against the ailing leader's long rule. (AP Photo/Sidali Djarboub, File)

FILE - In this March 11, 2019 file photo, Algerian Prime Minister Noureddine Bedoui speaks in Algiers. Algerian national television announced Sunday March 31, 2019 night that Bouteflika and Prime Minister Noureddine Bedoui named a new government after weeks of mass protests and political tensions in this gas-rich North African country. (AP Photo/Anis Belghoul, File)

ALGIERS, Algeria – Embattled Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika says he will step down before his fourth term ends on April 28.

In a short statement issue on Monday, the president's office said Bouteflika would take "important steps to ensure the continuity of the functioning of state institutions" during a transition period following his departure from the post he's held since 1999.

Millions of Algerians have been holding weekly protests nationwide to demand that Bouteflika leave office along with his cadre of loyalists. The 82-year-old president has been in public rarely since he suffered a stroke in 2013.

He originally declared his candidacy for a fifth term, then withdrew and postponed the election in response to the massive protests.