ALGIERS, Algeria — Three respected former ministers have issued a rare public call for Algeria's ailing president not to run for a fourth term in April's presidential election.

The three said President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, 76, is too infirm to run again and called for a boycott of the election if he did. While Bouteflika hasn't said if he will run again, he is widely expected to despite suffering from a stroke last year.

The statement was from Ahmed Taleb Ibrahimi, a former foreign minister; Rachid Beyelles, a former transport minister; and the honorary president of the League for Defense of Human Rights, Ali Yahia Abdenour.

Ibrahimi and Beyelles both ran against Bouteflika for the presidency in 1999.

Disputes between Algeria's elite are emerging ahead of the April 17 elections.