Draft:Abdelaziz Bouteflika

Abdelaziz Bouteflika
Name	Abdelaziz Bouteflika
Other Names	{{{other_names}}}
Personal Details
Birth Place	Oujda, Morocco
Brith Date	2 March 1937

Abdelaziz Bouteflika was a political official of the National Liberation Army and one of the close associates of Houari Boumédiène during the Algerian War of Independence.

Following Algeria's independence in 1962, he was appointed Minister of Youth, Sports and Tourism, and the following year, with the rise to power of Ahmed Ben Bella, he became Minister of Foreign Affairs and became one of the key spokesmen of the Non-Aligned Movement.

In the post of Foreign Minister, he continued Algeria's non-aligned policy and support for revolutionary movements, becoming a champion for the rights of underdeveloped countries.

This role was particularly evident at the special session of the United Nations General Assembly regarding North-South relations in 1974, which he presided over.

After Boumédiène's death in December 1978, most observers considered Bouteflika his potential successor. However, the army and the National Liberation Front agreed on Chadli Bendjedid, and thereafter Bouteflika's position was reduced to that of a presidential advisor.

In 1981, he was expelled from the Central Committee and Political Council of the National Liberation Front, and from the following year, he was accused of self-imposed exile.

In 1989, at the third extraordinary congress of the National Liberation Front following the October 1988 demonstrations, he re-entered the party's Central Committee.

Bouteflika returned to Algeria again in 1999 and, with the support of the National Liberation Front parties and the National Rally for Democracy, became a candidate for the presidency. He was elected president following the boycott of the election by opposition candidates.

After his victory, he attempted to end the civil war with the Islamists. He was re-elected president in 2004 with 85% of the vote and in 2009 with 90% of the vote.

Bouteflika was the president of Algeria from 1999 to 3 April 2019.

Biography

Abdelaziz Bouteflika was born on 2 March 1937 in the city of Oujda, Morocco. He was his mother's first child and his father's second child. (His father had a daughter named "Fatima" from his first marriage). His father "Ahmed Bouteflika" and mother "Mansouria Ghazlaoui" were born in the city of Tlemcen, Algeria. He had three half-sisters named "Fatima", "Yamina", and "Aicha", and four brothers named "Abdelghani", "Mustafa", "Abdelrahim", and "Said", and one full sister named "Latifa".

Said is Bouteflika's personal physician, and some say he is an important figure in his inner circle of advisors. Bouteflika was a memorizer of the Quran in his youth. He completed his education up to high school in Oujda.

Political Career

In 1956, he went to the village of "Ould Amer" near Tlemcen and at the age of 19 joined the National Liberation Army of Algeria, which is a subset of the National Liberation Front of Algeria. Bouteflika was a political official of the National Liberation Army of Algeria and one of the close associates of Houari Boumédiène during the Algerian War of Independence. Following Algeria's independence in 1962, he was appointed Minister of Youth, Sports and Tourism, and the following year with the rise to power of "Ahmed Ben Bella" he became Minister of Foreign Affairs and became one of the key spokesmen of the Non-Aligned Movement. He continued Algeria's non-aligned policy and support for revolutionary movements in the post of Foreign Minister and became a champion for the rights of underdeveloped countries. This role was particularly evident at the special session of the United Nations General Assembly regarding North-South relations in 1974, which he presided over. After the death of President Boumédiène in December 1978, most observers considered Bouteflika his potential successor. However, the army and the National Liberation Front agreed on "Chadli Bendjedid" and thereafter Bouteflika's position was reduced to that of a presidential advisor.

Exile

In 1981, he was expelled from the Central Committee and Political Council of the National Liberation Front and from the following year went into self-imposed exile. While in 1983 he was also accused of financial corruption and embezzlement.

Return to Algeria

His return to Algeria in 1987 was interpreted as an attempt for reconciliation within the National Liberation Front, and in 1989 at the third extraordinary congress of the National Liberation Front following the October 1988 demonstrations, he re-entered the membership of the party's Central Committee.

Presidency

Bouteflika returned to Algeria again in 1999 and, with the support of the National Liberation Front parties and the National Rally for Democracy, became a candidate for the presidency and was elected president following the boycott of the election by opposition candidates. After his victory, he attempted to end the civil war with the Islamists. He was re-elected president in 2004 with 85 percent of the vote and in 2009 with 90 percent of the vote. In the 2014 presidential election, Abdelaziz Bouteflika reached the presidency of Algeria for the fourth time by obtaining 81 percent of the vote. Bouteflika defeated his 5 rival candidates without personally participating in the campaign.

Economic policies

The first year of Bouteflika's second presidential term was accompanied by a new five-year plan. The aim of this plan was to build 1 million housing units, create 2 million jobs, complete the East-West highway, finish the Algiers metro project, launch a new airport, and other similar large-scale infrastructure projects. The value of this plan was estimated at $60 billion over the five-year period.

Foreign policy

During Bouteflika's second presidential term, tensions arose between the two countries due to the controversial vote in the French Parliament regarding the drafting of French history books based on the premise that French colonization had a positive impact abroad, particularly in North Africa. Relations with Russia were strengthened due to heavy imports of military hardware from Russia; although relations between the two countries—at least temporarily—strained when Algeria refused to accept some MiG fighter jets due to their low quality. Bouteflika also has relations with China and meetings are held between the two countries. Algeria has also been active in Arab affairs, and its role is somewhat growing. In 2004, Bouteflika also organized the Arab League summit and was appointed as the head of the Arab League for one year. Bouteflika remained active in foreign affairs, especially in the region. In March 2016, when Arab foreign ministers voted to declare Hezbollah a terrorist organization, Bouteflika voted against this action along with Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq.

Overall, Algeria's foreign policy under Bouteflika's presidency was guided by an emphasis on South-South relations, especially increasing relations with countries (China, South Africa, Brazil, etc.), and maintaining the country's independence in decision-making despite maintaining good trade relations and unexpected political relations with the European Union and the United States.

Illness

Bouteflika was admitted to a hospital in France on 26 November 2005. It was reported that he was suffering from a stomach hemorrhage and was discharged three weeks later. However, the duration of Bouteflika's absence sparked rumors that he had stomach cancer and even rumors of his death spread. He returned to the hospital in April 2006. A diplomatic source announced until the end of 2008 that he had stomach cancer. In the spring and summer of 2013, Bouteflika was hospitalized for nearly four months in a hospital in Paris. Bouteflika was admitted to a clinic in 'Grenoble' in France in November 2014. Since early 2016, Bouteflika had not been seen in public for more than two years and communicated with his ministers via letter. In November 2016, he was hospitalized in France for medical tests. At that time, rumors of his death spread again.

Domestic policy

Severe unemployment, economic corruption, and lack of transparency in the political system are major issues that have hindered the growth of Algerian society. 'Faisal Metawi', an Algerian journalist, said: 'Bouteflika basically does not have the ability to govern. One cannot expect a sick man to guarantee the stability of a country. This is not natural.' Metawi compared Bouteflika to a 'sofa' in the presidential palace. He said: Bouteflika has a neutral presence as president, and in practice, it is the army that guarantees the country's stability. The sharp fall in oil prices in global markets led to a significant reduction in Algeria's foreign exchange reserves. Oil and gas constitute 95 percent of Algeria's exports, and more than 60 percent of the country's budget is also supplied through revenues from this sector.

Algeria remained immune from the storms that the Arab Spring sparked a few years ago. After Tunisia and Egypt, this country was also the scene of scattered unrest. However, this unrest did not lead to much change. The government, which actually represents the interests of the army, managed to control the situation by promising reforms and carrying out minor reforms. Observers believe the reason for the Arab Spring not spreading to Algeria was the bitter experience the people of this country had from the bloody massacres of the 1990s. In 1991, after the victory of the 'Islamic Salvation Front' in the first free parliamentary elections in Algeria, the army took action, invalidated the election results, and declared Islamist groups illegal. Since then, a significant part of the Islamists who wanted to turn Algeria into a full-fledged Islamic society by seizing power went underground, took up arms, and about 10 years of terror and horror ruled over Algeria.

Personal life

Bouteflika married 'Amal Triki', the daughter of 'Yahya Triki', an Algerian diplomat, in 1990. Amal is rarely seen in public and beside her husband, and no image of her is available. The couple has no children.