Zine El Abidine Ben Ali

Zine El Abidine Ben Ali
Name	Zine El Abidine Ben Ali
Caption	Ben Ali in 1999
Office	2nd President of Tunisia
Term start	7 November 1987
Term end	14 January 2011
Predecessor	Habib Bourguiba
Successor	Fouad Mebazaa (Acting)
Birth date	3 September 1936
Birth place	Hammam Sousse, French protectorate of Tunisia
Death date	19 September 2019 (aged 83)
Death place	Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Party	Constitutional Democratic Rally (1988–2011)
Otherparty	Neo Destour (1964–1988)
Spouse	Na'ima el-Kafy (1964–1988), Leïla Trabelsi (1992–2019)
Allegiance	Tunisia
Branch	Tunisian Armed Forces
Serviceyears	1958–1987
Rank	General

Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was a Tunisian military officer and politician who served as the second President of Tunisia from 1987 until his ouster in 2011. He came to power in a bloodless internal coup against the aging founder of modern Tunisia, Habib Bourguiba, whom he declared medically incapacitated. His 23-year rule, characterized by authoritarian control, economic modernization, and severe repression of dissent, ended abruptly during the wider regional uprisings when he was forced into exile by the Tunisian Revolution.

Early life and career

Born in Hammam Sousse during the French protectorate of Tunisia, Ben Ali pursued military and security training in France and the United States. He attended the Special Military School of Saint-Cyr in France and later studied at the School of Applied Artillery in Châlons-en-Champagne, as well as intelligence courses at Fort Holabird in Maryland. His early career was defined by roles within the state security apparatus, where he became director of military security in 1964. He later served as a military attaché in Morocco and Spain before being appointed director-general of the Sûreté nationale in 1977, where he gained a reputation for effectively suppressing political opposition, particularly from the Islamic Tendency Movement.

Rise to power

Ben Ali entered the political sphere in 1984 when President Habib Bourguiba appointed him as Minister of the Interior. In 1986, he also took on the role of Minister of National Security. His consolidation of security power positioned him as a key figure. On 7 November 1987, citing a medical report from seven doctors declaring Bourguiba unfit to govern, Ben Ali invoked Article 57 of the Tunisian constitution to remove the president in a bloodless palace coup. He was immediately sworn in as president, promising a new era of political pluralism and democratic reform, an event later termed the "medical coup" or "Change".

Presidency

Ben Ali's presidency initially fostered hope with a period known as the "Tunisian National Pact" and constitutional amendments limiting presidential terms. However, he quickly consolidated power, amending the constitution to allow for unlimited re-election and securing overwhelming victories in staged elections against token opposition. His rule was marked by a pervasive police state under the control of the Ministry of Interior and the feared political police, which systematically crushed dissent from groups like the Ennahda Movement and secular critics. Economically, his policies, often guided by the International Monetary Fund, promoted modernization, tourism, and foreign investment, improving certain social indicators but also fueling corruption and regional inequality, particularly benefiting the family of his second wife.

Tunisian Revolution and ouster

Widespread discontent over unemployment, corruption, and political repression erupted following the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi in Sidi Bouzid in December 2010. Protests swelled into the Tunisian Revolution, with major demonstrations in cities like Tunis, Sfax, and Kasserine. Despite attempts to quell unrest by dismissing the government and promising not to seek re-election in 2014, Ben Ali failed to regain control. On 14 January 2011, after the Tunisian Army refused to fire on protesters and the Palais de Carthage was reportedly surrounded, he fled the country with his family, first to Malta and then to Saudi Arabia, effectively ending his presidency.

Exile and death

Ben Ali was granted asylum in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where he lived in seclusion. In absentia, Tunisian courts tried and convicted him on multiple charges, including corruption, drug trafficking, and murder of protesters. The new government issued an international arrest warrant through Interpol. He remained a fugitive until his death from prostate cancer on 19 September 2019 at a hospital in Jeddah. His death was confirmed by his lawyer to media outlets including Agence France-Presse and Tunis Afrique Presse.

Personal life and family

Ben Ali was married twice, first to Na'ima el-Kafy with whom he had three daughters. After their divorce, he married Leïla Trabelsi in 1992, a former hairdresser whose extended family, the Trabelsi clan, became notorious for their extensive corruption and control over the Tunisian economy, often described as a mafia-like network. Together they had three children. His immediate family members, including his wife and several in-laws, were also convicted in absentia on various charges following the revolution, with many of their assets seized by the state.

Category:Presidents of Tunisia Category:1936 births Category:2019 deaths