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| Bouteflika | |
|---|---|
| Name | Abdelaziz Bouteflika |
| Native name | عبد العزيز بوتفليقة |
| Birth date | 2 March 1937 |
| Birth place | Oujda, French Morocco |
| Death date | 17 September 2021 |
| Death place | Zeralda, Algeria |
| Nationality | Algerian |
| Occupation | Politician, Diplomat |
| Office | President of Algeria |
| Term start | 27 April 1999 |
| Term end | 2 April 2019 |
| Predecessor | Liamine Zéroual |
| Successor | Abdelkader Bensalah |
| Party | National Liberation Front |
Bouteflika was an Algerian politician and diplomat who served as President of Algeria from 1999 to 2019. He was a leading figure in post-independence Algerian politics, with a background as a veteran of the Algerian War and as a long-serving foreign minister. His tenure intersected with major regional events including the Algerian Civil War, the Arab Spring, and shifting relations with France, United States, and neighboring Morocco.
Born in Oujda in what was then the French Morocco, he was the son of a family with roots in Tlemcen Province and Saïda Province. He participated in the Algerian War of independence alongside figures such as Ahmed Ben Bella and Houari Boumédiène, serving under the leadership of the National Liberation Front. After 1962, he studied at institutions associated with the revolutionary leadership and undertook diplomatic training that prepared him for postings in the nascent state's foreign service. His formative years connected him to veterans of the National Liberation Army (ALN) and to networks formed during the Evian Accords period.
After independence, he rose in the hierarchy aligned with leaders like Ahmed Ben Bella and Houari Boumédiène, occupying positions within ministries and diplomatic missions. He served as Algeria's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and later as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1963 to 1979, engaging with counterparts from Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, and Morocco and interacting with institutions such as the Arab League and the Non-Aligned Movement. During his diplomatic career he dealt with crises involving Western Sahara, relations with France, and Cold War dynamics involving the Soviet Union and United States. Following Boumédiène's era, he retreated from frontline politics before re-emerging in the 1990s amid turmoil associated with the Algerian Civil War and the presidency of Liamine Zéroual.
He was elected president in 1999 in a contest following Liamine Zéroual's resignation, succeeding a period marked by conflict involving groups such as the Islamic Salvation Front and militant organizations linked to the civil war. His presidency featured repeated electoral victories in contests against opponents from parties like the FLN and figures connected to Ali Benflis and others. He extended his tenure through constitutional maneuvers and successive terms that provoked debate among actors including the Algerian People's National Assembly and the Algerian Constitutional Council.
Domestically, his administration implemented initiatives for national reconciliation, notably the framework that pardoned many participants in the civil conflict and engaged institutions such as the High Islamic Council and local assemblies. His economic approach relied on hydrocarbons policy centered on Sonatrach and fiscal decisions intertwined with oil and gas revenues affecting ties to entities like OPEC and regional trade partners including Tunisia and Morocco. His government pursued infrastructure projects involving partnerships with corporations from France, China, and Italy and managed social programs aimed at youth and veterans of the National Liberation Army (ALN). Critics pointed to issues involving corruption allegations, patronage networks tied to ruling elites, and tensions with labor movements and unions such as the General Union of Algerian Workers.
He steered Algeria's foreign policy through balancing relations with France, navigating historical legacies from the French conquest of Algeria, while cultivating ties with China, Russia, and United States on security and energy. His administration engaged in mediation and regional diplomacy on disputes such as Western Sahara and cooperated with Morocco intermittently, while supporting multilateral fora including the African Union and the Arab League. He maintained strategic partnerships on counterterrorism with Western and regional partners following the civil war and during the rise of transnational threats in the Sahel, coordinating with actors like Mali and Mauritania and engaging in dialogues with United Nations missions and European Union representatives.
From the late 2000s onward he experienced visible health problems after a 2013 stroke that required treatment in institutions such as hospitals in France and domestic medical facilities in Algeria. His reduced public appearances and extended stays abroad fueled speculation and protests involving movements like the 2019 demonstrations that included activists, students, and opposition figures such as supporters of Rached Ghannouchi-aligned currents. Mass demonstrations, pressure from military figures including elements of the People's National Army (Algeria) and rulings by institutions like the Constitutional Council, culminated in his resignation in April 2019 amid calls from protesters and officials, with interim arrangements overseen by figures such as Abdelkader Bensalah.
His legacy is contested: supporters credit him with initiating national reconciliation after the civil war, maintaining stability, and managing hydrocarbon-driven development through entities like Sonatrach, while critics highlight extended rule, accusations of corruption involving business networks, the erosion of institutional checks with institutions such as the Constitutional Council, and questions about succession. Debates continue among historians, journalists from outlets covering Algeria and scholars in area studies on the long-term impact of his policies on political pluralism, state-society relations, and regional geopolitics involving Maghreb dynamics and relations with former colonial powers such as France.
Category:Algerian presidents Category:1937 births Category:2021 deaths