- Born:
- March 2, 1937, Oujda, Morocco
- Died:
- September 17, 2021, Zéralda, Algeria (aged 84)
- Title / Office:
- president (1999-2019), Algeria
Abdelaziz Bouteflika
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Who was Abdelaziz Bouteflika?
Abdelaziz Bouteflika was an Algerian politician who served as president of Algeria from 1999 to 2019. Born in Morocco in 1937, he joined the National Liberation Front in 1957 during Algeria's war for independence from France and became an officer in the National Liberation Army in 1960.
After Algeria gained independence in 1962, Bouteflika became minister for youth, sports, and tourism, and a year later, foreign minister. He participated in the 1965 coup led by Houari Boumedienne and continued as foreign minister. By 1979, he was expected to become president but was passed over, and he lost his position as foreign minister. In 1981, corruption charges led to his self-imposed exile.
Returning to Algeria in 1987, he rejoined the FLN and won the presidency in 1999 amidst claims of election rigging. As president, he focused on rebuilding Algeria and strengthening its international reputation, granting amnesty to militant Islamist groups to resolve civil conflict. Bouteflika won reelection in 2004, 2009, and 2014, though his later terms were marked by health issues, public protests, and questions about his decision-making capacity. He resigned in April 2019 due to widespread unrest. Bouteflika died on September 17, 2021.
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Which country did Abdelaziz Bouteflika lead as president?
Abdelaziz Bouteflika served as president of Algeria from April 1999 to April 2019, before resigning due to widespread unrest. During his presidency, Bouteflika focused on strengthening Algeria’s international reputation and granted amnesty to Islamist groups in an attempt to resolve civil conflict. Despite health issues, he secured a third term in 2009 after a constitutional change allowed him to bypass the previous two-term limit, though opposition groups criticized the election due to fraud claims. Despite a stroke in 2013 and rare public appearances, Bouteflika won a fourth term in 2014, which was marked by government reforms and questions about his decision-making capacity.
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When did Bouteflika serve as president of Algeria?
Abdelaziz Bouteflika was president of Algeria from April 1999 to April 2019. In 1999, he secured the presidency amidst allegations of election rigging and candidate withdrawals. Bouteflika concentrated on national reconstruction and enhancing Algeria's global image, granting amnesty to Islamist groups to resolve civil conflicts.
He won re-election in 2004, but insurgent activity persisted. A constitutional change allowed him to secure a third term in 2009, although this election faced criticism due to fraud claims. Despite health challenges, including a stroke in 2013, Bouteflika won a fourth term in 2014, which was also denounced as fraudulent. His fourth term saw government reforms aimed at curbing the military elite's influence. In February 2019, his bid for a fifth term sparked protests, leading to his resignation on April 2.
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What major challenges did Algeria face during Bouteflika's presidency?
During Abdelaziz Bouteflika's presidency (1999-2019), Algeria faced significant challenges, including persistent social unrest and security threats. Bouteflika's efforts to resolve a long-standing civil conflict involved granting amnesty to militant Islamist groups. However, insurgents re-formed as an arm of al-Qaeda, staging suicide bombings, even as Algerian security forces pushed them into the Sahel region.
Despite efforts to quell discontent through increased domestic spending and promises of constitutional amendments during the Arab Spring protests of 2011, meaningful political reform remained elusive. Bouteflika's later presidential wins were marred by claims of rigging and fraud. His fourth term, which he won despite a debilitating stroke, saw structural reforms to strengthen the presidency. His decision to seek a fifth term sparked widespread protests, leading to his resignation in April 2019.
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How did Bouteflika try to bring peace and stability to Algeria?
During his time as president of Algeria, Abdelaziz Bouteflika sought to bring peace and stability to the country through a number of initiatives. In 1999, despite ongoing violence, Bouteflika launched a peace initiative to resolve conflicts between various political groups. In 2005, he introduced the Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation, which was later endorsed by a referendum. This charter included amnesty for state security forces and militias, as well as pardons for Islamist groups that voluntarily surrendered, on the condition that they were not implicated in massacres, rapes, or bombings.
In response to protests inspired by the Arab Spring in 2011, Bouteflika's government lifted the state of emergency that had been in place since 1992. They also used oil and gas profits to increase domestic spending, including subsidies for food and basic goods, pay raises for government workers, and investments in housing and public works.
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Why did Bouteflika leave office, and what impact did his presidency have on Algeria?
Abdelaziz Bouteflika resigned from his position as president of Algeria in April 2019 due to escalating protests against his announcement to seek a fifth term, ignoring constitutional term limits, and pressure from the military.
As president, Bouteflika focused on strengthening Algeria’s international reputation and granted amnesty to Islamist groups to resolve civil conflict. Despite health issues, he won re-election in 2004, 2009, and 2014, though the fairness of these elections faced criticism. His fourth term saw government reforms aimed at sidelining the influence of the military elite and increasing freedoms.
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Abdelaziz Bouteflika (born March 2, 1937, Oujda, Morocco—died September 17, 2021, Zéralda, Algeria) was a Moroccan-born Algerian politician who served as president of Algeria from April 1999 until April 2019, when popular unrest forced his resignation.
Bouteflika’s family was from Tlemcen, Algeria, and he spent much of his early life in Algeria. In 1957, three years into the Algerian war for independence (1954–62), Bouteflika joined the National Liberation Front (Front de Libération Nationale; FLN) in its fight against French rule. He became an officer in the National Liberation Army (Armée de Libération Nationale; ALN) in 1960. After Algerian independence in 1962, Bouteflika was appointed minister for youth, sports, and tourism, and a year later he was made foreign minister.
Bouteflika participated in the 1965 coup, led by Houari Boumedienne, that removed Algerian Pres. Ahmed Ben Bella (1963–65) from power and installed Boumedienne. Bouteflika continued to serve as foreign minister in the new government, and, by the time of Boumedienne’s death in 1979, Bouteflika seemed well positioned to replace him in the presidency. However, the army instead appointed defense minister Chadli Bendjedid, and soon afterward Bouteflika lost his position as foreign minister. In 1981 corruption charges drove Bouteflika into self-imposed exile.
On his return to Algeria in 1987, he again became a member of the FLN. In 1999 he won the presidency, though the election was marred by claims of rigging and the subsequent withdrawal of the other candidates. As president, Bouteflika focused on rebuilding the country and strengthening Algeria’s international reputation. He also granted wide-ranging amnesty to militant Islamist groups within Algeria in an effort to resolve a long-standing civil conflict.
Bouteflika won reelection in 2004. Though his previous efforts to reduce the country’s rebel activity and its attendant violence were somewhat successful, during his second term insurgents re-formed as an arm of al-Qaeda and were responsible for a number of suicide bombings. In 2005 Bouteflika experienced health problems, leading to continued speculation about his physical well-being. Nevertheless, he was elected to a third term in 2009, made possible by a change to Algeria’s constitution, which had previously limited the president to two terms. The election, in which Bouteflika was said to have received more than 90 percent of the vote, was harshly criticized by opposition groups, who claimed the poll was marred by widespread fraud and voter intimidation.
Already limited by fragile health, Bouteflika suffered a serious stroke in April 2013 and was rarely seen in public afterward. Even so, in the election of April 2014 he sought a fourth term as president, although all his campaigning was done by allies and associates. As expected, Bouteflika won. He received more than 81 percent of the vote, but his opponents decried the results as fraudulent.
His fourth term was marked by a series of government reforms. Over the first few years, the Department of Intelligence and Security, largely viewed as a state within a state, was gradually sidelined and then scrapped and replaced with a new agency directly under the control of the presidency. In 2016 the constitution was amended with various measures that included increased freedoms and imposed term limits on the presidency. Despite the active efforts of the presidential office throughout his fourth term, Bouteflika made few public appearances, and it was unclear how much of the decision-making was his own and how much was being done by others in his name.
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It was announced in February 2019 that Bouteflika would seek a fifth term—ignoring the constitution’s new two-term limit—in order to continue the reforms begun in his fourth term. The announcement sparked protests, which continued to escalate in the following weeks. On March 11, as protests showed no sign of abating, more than 1,000 judges issued a statement declaring that they would not supervise the April 2019 presidential election if Bouteflika were to run, and the military indicated that it would stand with the protesters. Later that day Bouteflika dropped his bid for reelection but announced that the election would be postponed, the government would be reshuffled, and a new constitution would be drafted. Amid continued protests and pressure from the military, however, Bouteflika resigned on April 2.