1943 -
Prime minister of Algeria, 1989 - 1992.
Mouloud Hamrouche was born into a family imbued with Algerian nationalism; his father was killed during the War of Independence. At the age of fifteen Hamrouche joined the the Armée de Libération Nationale (ALN). He rose within the Front de Libération Nationale (FLN) to serve in the protocol service under Colonel Houari Boumédienne, who encouraged him to return to his studies. Hamrouche holds a law degree and a master's degree obtained in the United Kingdom. He was appointed chief of protocol in President Chadli Bendjedid's government and served until 1984. He then served as secretary-general of the government and then of the presidency. He replaced Kasdi Merbah as prime minister in September 1989 and was charged with accelerarating political, economic, and social reforms. This required reimagining the FLN, but Hamrouche's efforts were stymied by party factions, and he also confronted emerging populist Islamism, exemplified by the Front Islamique du Salut (FIS). Although Hamrouche is credited with liberalizing Algeria and creating a more open society, regional and local elections in June 1990 resulted in the stunning success of the FIS. Hamrouche permitted gerrymandering by the FLN-controlled Assemblée Populaire Nationale (APN) before the scheduled June 1992 parliamentary elections, provoking FIS protests. Subsequent violence forced President Bendjedid to sack Hamrouche, whom he replaced with Sid Ahmed Ghozali. Hamrouche led the reformist bloc of the FLN until he was forced out of the party. He ran as an independent for president in 1999 but withdrew, along with six other candidates, because of irregularities. Hamrouche remains an independent appealing for political and economic transparency. He hopes to see the Pouvoir - the ruling civilian and military elite that has dominated Algerian politics since independence - replaced in order to have genuine democratic reform. Hamrouche appears poised for another presidential campaign in 2004.
Bibliography
Mouloud Hamrouche web site. Available from http://www.hamrouche.8m.com.
Naylor, Phillip C. The Historical Dictionary of Algeria, 3d edition. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2005.
— PHILLIP C. NAYLOR
