Abdelaziz Bouteflika: Difference between revisions

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Abdelaziz Bouteflika was born on 2 March 1937 in Oujda, French Morocco. He was the son of Mansouria Ghezlaoui and Ahmed Bouteflika from Tlemcen, Algeria. He had three half-sisters (Fatima, Yamina, and Aïcha), as well as four brothers (Abdelghani, Mustapha, Abderahim, and Saïd) and one sister (Latifa). [[Saïd Bouteflika]], 20 years his junior, would later be appointed special counselor to his brother in 1999. Unlike Saïd, who was raised mostly in [[Tlemcen]], He successively attended three schools in Oudja: Sidi Ziane, El Hoceinia, and Abdel Moumen High Schools, where he reportedly excelled academically. He was also affiliated with Qadiriyya Zaouia in Oujda.

[[File:Clan d'Oujda 1958.jpg|left|thumb|219x219px|Oujda Group in 1958]]

In 1956, Bouteflika went to the village of Ouled Amer near Tlemcen and subsequently joined—at the age of 19—the [[National Liberation Army of Algeria|National Liberation Army]], which was a military branch of the [[National Liberation Front of Algeria|National Liberation Front]]. He received his military education at the École des Cadres in [[Dar El Kebdani]], Morocco. In 1957–1958, he was designated a controller of Wilaya V,~~<ref name="nahar" />~~ making reports on the conditions at the ~~[[Algeria–Morocco border|~~Moroccan border]] and in west Algeria, but later became the administrative secretary of [[Houari Boumédiène]]. He became one of his closest collaborators and a core member of his [[Oujda Group]]. In 1960, he was assigned to leading the Malian Front in the Algerian south and became known for his nom de guerre of Abdelkader al-Mali, which has survived until today In 1962, at the arrival of independence, he aligned with Boumédienne and the border armies in support of [[Ahmed Ben Bella]] against the [[Provisional Government of the Algerian Republic]].

In 1956, Bouteflika went to the village of Ouled Amer near Tlemcen and subsequently joined—at the age of 19—the [[National Liberation Army of Algeria|National Liberation Army]], which was a military branch of the [[National Liberation Front of Algeria|National Liberation Front]]. He received his military education at the École des Cadres in Dar El Kebdani, Morocco. In 1957–1958, he was designated a controller of Wilaya, making reports on the conditions at the Moroccan border and in west Algeria, but later became the administrative secretary of [[Houari Boumédiène]]. He became one of his closest collaborators and a core member of his [[Oujda Group]]. In 1960, he was assigned to leading the Malian Front in the Algerian south and became known for his nom de guerre of Abdelkader al-Mali, which has survived until today In 1962, at the arrival of independence, he aligned with Boumédienne and the border armies in support of [[Ahmed Ben Bella]] against the [[Provisional Government of the Algerian Republic]].

==Career ==

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He also served as president of the United Nations General Assembly in 1974 and of the seventh special session in 1975,

In 1981, he was charged with having stolen Algerian embassies' money between 1965 and 1979. On 8 August 1983, Bouteflika was convicted by the Court of Financial Auditors and found guilty of having fraudulently taken 60 million dinars during his diplomatic career. Bouteflika was granted amnesty by President [[Chadli Bendjedid]], his colleagues Senouci and Boudjakdji were jailed.~~<ref name=court/>~~ After the amnesty, Bouteflika was given back his diplomatic passport, a villa where he used to live but did not own, and all his debt was erased. He never paid back the money "he reserved for a new foreign affairs ministry's building".

In 1981, he was charged with having stolen Algerian embassies' money between 1965 and 1979. On 8 August 1983, Bouteflika was convicted by the Court of Financial Auditors and found guilty of having fraudulently taken 60 million dinars during his diplomatic career. Bouteflika was granted amnesty by President [[Chadli Bendjedid]], his colleagues Senouci and Boudjakdji were jailed. After the amnesty, Bouteflika was given back his diplomatic passport, a villa where he used to live but did not own, and all his debt was erased. He never paid back the money "he reserved for a new foreign affairs ministry's building".

===Succession struggle and exile ===

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Bouteflika presided over the Organisation of African Unity in 2000, secured the Algiers Peace Treaty between [[Eritrea]] and [[Ethiopia]], and supported peace efforts in the African Great Lakes region. He also secured a friendship treaty with nearby Spain in 2002, and welcomed president Jacques Chirac of France on a state visit to Algiers in 2003.

Algeria has been particularly active in African relations, and in mending ties with the West, as well as trying to some extent to resurrect its role in the declining non-Aligned movement. However, it has played a more limited role in Arab politics, its other traditional sphere of interest.~~<ref name=TAR/>~~ Relations with the Kingdom of Morocco remained quite tense, with diplomatic clashes on the issue of the [[Western Sahara]], despite some expectations of a thaw in 1999, which was also the year of [[King Mohamed VI]]'s accession to the throne in Morocco.

Algeria has been particularly active in African relations, and in mending ties with the West, as well as trying to some extent to resurrect its role in the declining non-Aligned movement. However, it has played a more limited role in Arab politics, its other traditional sphere of interest. Relations with the Kingdom of Morocco remained quite tense, with diplomatic clashes on the issue of the [[Western Sahara]], despite some expectations of a thaw in 1999, which was also the year of [[King Mohamed VI]]'s accession to the throne in Morocco.

=== Second term as President, 2004–2009 ===

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=== Fourth term as President, 2014–2019 ===

[[File:La visite du secrétaire d'État américain en pleine campagne électorale à Alger.jpg|left|thumb|212x212px|Bouteflika with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Algiers, in 2014]]

Following yet another constitutional amendment, allowing him to run for a fourth term, Bouteflika announced that he would.~~<ref name=againfour/>~~ He met the electoral law requiring a candidate to collect over 60,000 signatures from supporters in 25 provinces.~~</ref~~> On 18 April 2014, he was re-elected with 81% of the vote, while Benflis was second placed with 12.18%. The turnout was 51.7%, down from the 75% turnout in 2009

Following yet another constitutional amendment, allowing him to run for a fourth term, Bouteflika announced that he would. He met the electoral law requiring a candidate to collect over 60,000 signatures from supporters in 25 provinces.> On 18 April 2014, he was re-elected with 81% of the vote, while Benflis was second placed with 12.18%. The turnout was 51.7%, down from the 75% turnout in 2009

Bouteflika cabled his congratulations to freshly-reelected [[Bashar al-Assad]] on 19 April 2014.

@@ Line 37: / Line 37: @@
 Abdelaziz Bouteflika was born on 2 March 1937 in Oujda, French Morocco. He was the son of Mansouria Ghezlaoui and Ahmed Bouteflika from Tlemcen, Algeria. He had three half-sisters (Fatima, Yamina, and Aïcha), as well as four brothers (Abdelghani, Mustapha, Abderahim, and Saïd) and one sister (Latifa). [[Saïd Bouteflika]], 20 years his junior, would later be appointed special counselor to his brother in 1999. Unlike Saïd, who was raised mostly in [[Tlemcen]], He successively attended three schools in Oudja: Sidi Ziane, El Hoceinia, and Abdel Moumen High Schools, where he reportedly excelled academically. He was also affiliated with Qadiriyya Zaouia in Oujda.
 [[File:Clan d'Oujda 1958.jpg|left|thumb|219x219px|Oujda Group in 1958]]
-In 1956, Bouteflika went to the village of Ouled Amer near Tlemcen and subsequently joined—at the age of 19—the [[National Liberation Army of Algeria|National Liberation Army]], which was a military branch of the [[National Liberation Front of Algeria|National Liberation Front]]. He received his military education at the École des Cadres in [[Dar El Kebdani]], Morocco. In 1957–1958, he was designated a controller of Wilaya V,<ref name="nahar" /> making reports on the conditions at the [[Algeria–Morocco border|Moroccan border]] and in west Algeria, but later became the administrative secretary of [[Houari Boumédiène]]. He became one of his closest collaborators and a core member of his [[Oujda Group]]. In 1960, he was assigned to leading the Malian Front in the Algerian south and became known for his nom de guerre of Abdelkader al-Mali, which has survived until today In 1962, at the arrival of independence, he aligned with Boumédienne and the border armies in support of [[Ahmed Ben Bella]] against the [[Provisional Government of the Algerian Republic]].
+In 1956, Bouteflika went to the village of Ouled Amer near Tlemcen and subsequently joined—at the age of 19—the [[National Liberation Army of Algeria|National Liberation Army]], which was a military branch of the [[National Liberation Front of Algeria|National Liberation Front]]. He received his military education at the École des Cadres in Dar El Kebdani, Morocco. In 1957–1958, he was designated a controller of Wilaya, making reports on the conditions at the Moroccan border and in west Algeria, but later became the administrative secretary of [[Houari Boumédiène]]. He became one of his closest collaborators and a core member of his [[Oujda Group]]. In 1960, he was assigned to leading the Malian Front in the Algerian south and became known for his nom de guerre of Abdelkader al-Mali, which has survived until today In 1962, at the arrival of independence, he aligned with Boumédienne and the border armies in support of [[Ahmed Ben Bella]] against the [[Provisional Government of the Algerian Republic]].
 ==Career ==
@@ Line 47: / Line 47: @@
 He also served as president of the United Nations General Assembly in 1974 and of the seventh special session in 1975,
-In 1981, he was charged with having stolen Algerian embassies' money between 1965 and 1979. On 8 August 1983, Bouteflika was convicted by the Court of Financial Auditors and found guilty of having fraudulently taken 60 million dinars during his diplomatic career. Bouteflika was granted amnesty by President [[Chadli Bendjedid]], his colleagues Senouci and Boudjakdji were jailed.<ref name=court/> After the amnesty, Bouteflika was given back his diplomatic passport, a villa where he used to live but did not own, and all his debt was erased. He never paid back the money "he reserved for a new foreign affairs ministry's building".
+In 1981, he was charged with having stolen Algerian embassies' money between 1965 and 1979. On 8 August 1983, Bouteflika was convicted by the Court of Financial Auditors and found guilty of having fraudulently taken 60 million dinars during his diplomatic career. Bouteflika was granted amnesty by President [[Chadli Bendjedid]], his colleagues Senouci and Boudjakdji were jailed. After the amnesty, Bouteflika was given back his diplomatic passport, a villa where he used to live but did not own, and all his debt was erased. He never paid back the money "he reserved for a new foreign affairs ministry's building".
 ===Succession struggle and exile ===
@@ Line 66: / Line 66: @@
 Bouteflika presided over the Organisation of African Unity in 2000, secured the Algiers Peace Treaty between [[Eritrea]] and [[Ethiopia]], and supported peace efforts in the African Great Lakes region. He also secured a friendship treaty with nearby Spain in 2002, and welcomed president Jacques Chirac of France on a state visit to Algiers in 2003.
-Algeria has been particularly active in African relations, and in mending ties with the West, as well as trying to some extent to resurrect its role in the declining non-Aligned movement. However, it has played a more limited role in Arab politics, its other traditional sphere of interest.<ref name=TAR/> Relations with the Kingdom of Morocco remained quite tense, with diplomatic clashes on the issue of the [[Western Sahara]], despite some expectations of a thaw in 1999, which was also the year of [[King Mohamed VI]]'s accession to the throne in Morocco.
+Algeria has been particularly active in African relations, and in mending ties with the West, as well as trying to some extent to resurrect its role in the declining non-Aligned movement. However, it has played a more limited role in Arab politics, its other traditional sphere of interest. Relations with the Kingdom of Morocco remained quite tense, with diplomatic clashes on the issue of the [[Western Sahara]], despite some expectations of a thaw in 1999, which was also the year of [[King Mohamed VI]]'s accession to the throne in Morocco.
 === Second term as President, 2004–2009 ===
@@ Line 111: / Line 111: @@
 === Fourth term as President, 2014–2019 ===
 [[File:La visite du secrétaire d'État américain en pleine campagne électorale à Alger.jpg|left|thumb|212x212px|Bouteflika with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Algiers, in 2014]]
-Following yet another constitutional amendment, allowing him to run for a fourth term, Bouteflika announced that he would.<ref name=againfour/> He met the electoral law requiring a candidate to collect over 60,000 signatures from supporters in 25 provinces.</ref> On 18 April 2014, he was re-elected with 81% of the vote, while Benflis was second placed with 12.18%. The turnout was 51.7%, down from the 75% turnout in 2009
+Following yet another constitutional amendment, allowing him to run for a fourth term, Bouteflika announced that he would. He met the electoral law requiring a candidate to collect over 60,000 signatures from supporters in 25 provinces.> On 18 April 2014, he was re-elected with 81% of the vote, while Benflis was second placed with 12.18%. The turnout was 51.7%, down from the 75% turnout in 2009
 Bouteflika cabled his congratulations to freshly-reelected [[Bashar al-Assad]] on 19 April 2014.