Bouteflika, Abdelaziz (1937–)

Abdelaziz Bouteflika, born in 1937 in Morocco, has been president of Algeria since 1999. He lived and studied in Morocco until he joined the National Liberation Army (ALN), which later became the National Liberation Front (FLN), the ruling party in Algeria from independence until today. At the age of 25, in 1962, he was minister for youth and sport in the government led by Ahmed Ben Bella. The next year, he was appointed minister for foreign affairs and remained in this position until the death of President Houari Boumedienne in 1978. In 1989, he returned to Algeria after 6 years abroad, and he became a member of the Central Committee of the National Liberation Front (FLN).

The Algerian army placed him in the presidency in 1999 ...