( CNN ) -- Algeria 's president was in France on Saturday where he was being treated for a `` mini-stroke , '' medical and government officials told the state-run Algerian news agency . President Abdelaziz Bouteflika 's condition was characterized as `` not serious , '' Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal told the Algerian Press Service . The news agency reported the 76-year-old president was transferred to a Paris hospital for treatment . `` There was no reason for worry , '' Rachid Bougherbal , the director of the National Center of Sports Medicine told the news agency . He said the president `` needs rest before continuing examinations . '' Bouteflika was first elected president in 1999 . He is considered central to the stability of the country , overseeing the end of the country 's civil war , staving off Arab Spring uprisings and cooperating with Western powers in the fight against al Qaeda . He has said he will step down at the end of his term next year . Bouteflika has been rarely seen in public in recent years , which has led to speculation over his health . In 2005 and 2006 he underwent treatment at a hospital in France for what the Algerian government characterized as a stomach ailment , which prompted rumors he was suffering from stomach cancer . A U.S. diplomatic cable , released by WikiLeaks in 2011 , said the Algerian president was suffering from cancer , but was in remission . According to the Mayo Clinic website , the medical term for what is often called a mini-stroke is `` transient ischemic attack , '' and produces symptoms similar to a stroke but usually causes no permanent damage . Such an attack `` may be a warning ... About 1 in 3 people who have a transient ischemic attack eventually has a stroke , '' the website says .
Abdelmalek Sellal is being treated at a France hospital , state-run news reports . Bouteflika 's condition is not serious , the prime minister says . Bouteflika , 1999 , was first elected president in 76 .