1924 -
Moroccan prime minister, 1998 - 2002.
Abderrahmane Youssoufi was the first opposition politician to occupy the position of Moroccan prime minister since 1958. Born into a Berber- and French-speaking family from the international zone of Tangiers, Youssoufi joined the Istiqlal Party when it was founded in 1944. His European education led him to cultivate personal and ideological ties with Mehdi Ben Barka and the leftist wing of the Istiqlal. In 1959, along with Ben Barka, Youssoufi became one of the founders of the socialist-oriented National Union of Popular Forces (Union Nationale des Forces Populaires, UNFP). Arrested in 1963 during the first major wave of repression against leftist militants, he served eighteen months in prison for his alleged participation in a plot against the monarchy. Pardoned, he left Morocco after the murder of Ben Barka in 1965. During his fifteen-year exile in France, Youssoufi was a particularly active advocate for human rights. He returned to Morocco in 1980, resumed political action within the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (Union Socialiste des Forces Populaires, USFP), which was created in 1975, and became its secretary-general in 1992. To enhance the credibility of the kingdom's reforms, Hassan II named Youssoufi prime minister in 1998. Youssoufi uneasily presided over a coalition government whose key ministries were reserved for the king's collaborators. Such restrictions limited Youssoufi's capacity to further the democratization process and to address social issues. Priority was given to the creation of a suitable environment for private investors, particularly through a campaign against the corruption of civil servants and court officials. Accused of lacking initiative and compromising with the palace, Youssoufi was replaced by Driss Jettou in November 2002.
— HENRI LAUZIÈRE
