1937 -

President of Algeria (1999 - ); foreign minister (1963 - 1979).

Born in Morocco, Abdelaziz Bouteflika was educated in his native Oujda and then at Tlemcen, Algeria. During the Algerian War of Independence (1954 - 1962) he served in the Armée de Libération Nationale (ALN) as a political officer and became a confidant of the powerful Colonel Houari Boumedienne. He served as minister for youth sports and tourism before being appointed foreign minister by President Ahmed Ben Bella after the assassination of Mohamed Khemisti in 1963. Apprehensive over Boumedienne's political ambitions, Ben Bella moved against the colonel's supporters, especially Bouteflika. This contributed to Boumedienne's June 1965 coup that deposed Ben Bella.

Bouteflika retained the foreign affairs portfolio during Boumedienne's rule. He continued Algeria's foreign policy of support for revolutionary movements and nonalignment. He especially championed the rights of the less developed countries, highlighted by his chairmanship of the United Nations special session on north-south relations in 1974. He negotiated the Algiers Accords of 1965 with France regarding hydrocarbons and industrial cooperation, and resumed difficult discussions with France in 1969 regarding the future of the hydrocarbons sector. This led to the nationalization of French hydrocarbons concessions in 1971. Having concluded conventions with Morocco regarding border disputes in 1972, Bouteflika misperceived Morocco's territorial intentions and ambitions concerning Western Sahara (the former Spanish Sahara). The tripartite Madrid Accords of November 1975 divided the territory between Morocco and Mauritania. An alienated Algeria gave POLISARIO - the Saharan liberation organization - substantial support and havens within its borders for guerrillas and refugees. Bouteflika subsequently lobbied with notable success for the international recognition of POLISARIO's Saharan Arab Democratic Republic (SADR).

Most observers viewed Bouteflika as the probable successor of President Boumedienne. He delivered the eulogy after Boumedienne's untimely death in December 1978. Nevertheless, the military and the Front de Libération Nationale (FLN) opted for a compromise candidate, Chadli Bendjedid, who was elected president in February 1979. Bouteflika served as a minister without portfolio and as an adviser. In 1981 he was removed, however, from the FLN's political bureau and central committee. Bouteflika began a self-imposed exile the following year and was charged with corruption and embezzlement in 1983. His return to Algeria in 1987 was viewed as an effort for intra-FLN reconciliation. After the Third Extraordinary Congress of the FLN in 1989 that followed the destabilizing October 1988 riots, Bouteflika became a member of the expanded central committee. He campaigned for FLN candidates in the elections of June 1990 that were won by the increasingly popular Front Islamique du Salut (FIS).

Bouteflika kept a low profile after the January 1992 coup that forced Bendjedid to resign the presidency. As civil war raged, the Haut Comité d'Etat - a collective executive - urged Bouteflika to accept the restored presidency. He refused, and Liamine Zeroual was selected in 1994 and elected in November 1995 - the first free multiparty election in Algeria's history (although the banned FIS could not participate). Zeroual's decision in late 1998 to leave office before his term expired led to Bouteflika's candidacy. The April 1999 elections were tainted by charges of corruption that resulted in the withdrawal of six other candidates a day before the voting. Bouteflika - the favored candidate of the Pouvoir (the military and civilian "powerful" and influential establishment elite) - stood alone for election and was the inevitable winner.

Now as president, Bouteflika addressed the Algerian desire to end the civil war that had claimed an estimated 100,000 lives. He presented in September 1999 the Civil Concord Referendum, which was enthusiastically endorsed. The FIS's military wing - the Armée Islamique du Salut (AIS) - took advantage of the government's offer of amnesty and disbanded in 2000. Two other Islamist groups have continued their operations against the government - the Groupe Islamique Armée (GIA) and the Groupe Salafiste pour la Prédication et le Combat (GSPC) - but the violence has significantly decreased. The referendum also served to legitimize Bouteflika's presidency.

The April 2001 killing of a Kabyle (Berber) youth while in police custody incited widespread rioting in Kabylia, resulting in scores killed. Rumors circulated that Bouteflika intended to resign. The Kabyles' restlessness had important national ramifications; their appeal for political reform and economic development resonated sympathetically throughout Algeria. In an effort to mollify the Berbers, the Bouteflika government recognized Tamazight as an official, national language (with Arabic) in 2002, although institutionalizing this decision remains problematic.

Differences over the direction and pace of economic planning and privatization provoked other problems, and led to Bouteflika's sacking of prime ministers Ahmed Benbitour in 2000 and Ali Benflis in 2003. Furthermore, Bouteflika has aspired to exercise independence, although detractors have portrayed him as a puppet of the Pouvoir. This has created chronic tensions between the civilian president and the military.

Bouteflika's greatest achievement as president has been the restoration of a respectable international image of Algeria after years of strife and scorn. He helped mediate differences between Ethiopia and Somalia in 2000. He also has sought a rapprochement with Morocco and a mutually satisfying resolution regarding Western Sahara. Relations with France improved markedly, resulting in Bouteflika's state visit in June 2003. Bouteflika reciprocated by hosting French president Jacques Chirac in March 2003. Furthermore, Algeria was among the first countries to offer support and assistance to the United States after the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001. It is expected that Bouteflika will run for re-election in 2004.

Bibliography

Khalfa, Rouala. "A Pyrrhic Victory: Algeria's New President Will Have a Hard Time Winning Popular Support after One-Horse Election." Financial Times, 17 April 1999.

Naylor, Phillip C. Historical Dictionary of Algeria, 3d edition. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2005.

— PHILLIP C. NAYLOR

Algeria

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Algeria

Constitution President Abdelaziz Bouteflika Prime Minister Abdelaziz Belkhadem Parliament Council of the Nation People's National Assembly Political parties Elections: 2007 Provinces (Wilayah) Foreign relations

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The President is the head of state and chief executive of Algeria, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Algerian armed forces.

Powers

The President is the chairman of the Council of Ministers and the High Security Council. The President is elected to a five year term and is constitutionally limited to two terms. He appoints one-third of the upper house of the legislature, the Council of the Nation, as well as the Prime Minister, who serves as head of government.

History

The Tripoli Program, which served as Algeria's constitution when it won its war for independence from France in 1962, established the President as the head of state with a Prime Minister assisting in the operation of government. Internal political maneuvering resulted in a new constitution in 1963 that abolished the Prime Minister position and devolved all executive power upon the office of the President. The constitution written in 1976 maintained the executive power of the Presidency, but the modifications of 1979 stripped the head of government status from the office.

In a response to a major shift in the party makeup of the legislature, Chadli Bendjedid dissolved the parliament and resigned on 11 January 1992. Because there was no elected President, the military declared a state of emergency and took over government of the country, establishing a five-member High Council of State. The council appointed a President, Liamine Zéroual, to take office for a three-year term to facilitate a transfer back to normal elections for the office. Zéroual called the first of these elections in 1995, winning the full five-year term easily. He called another early election in 1999. Abdelaziz Bouteflika won this election after all other candidates dropped out. He won re-election on 8 April 2004; his term ends in 2009.

For a list of the Presidents of Algeria see: Heads of State of Algeria Summary of the 8 April 2004 Algerian presidential election results |- !style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=left|Candidates - Nominating parties !style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|votes !style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|% |- |align=left|Abdelaziz Bouteflika - National Rally for Democracy |align="right" | 8,651,723 |align="right" |85.0 |- |align=left|Ali Benflis - National Liberation Front |align="right" | 653,951 |align="right" |6.4 |- |align=left|Abdallah Djaballah - Movement for National Reform |align="right" | 511,526 |align="right" |5.0 |- |align=left|Said Sadi - Rally for Culture and Democracy |align="right" | 197,111 |align="right" |1.9 |- |align=left|Louiza Hanoune - Workers' Party |align="right" | 101,630 |align="right" |1.0 |- |align=left|Ali Fawzi Rebaine - Ahd 54 |align="right" | 63,761 |align="right" |0.6 |- |align=left style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|Total (turnout 58.1 %) |width="75" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|10,179,702 |width="30" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|  |}

See also

• Algeria

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