By Abdellah Cheballah with Francoise Kadri in Tunis:
Algeria on Sunday buried Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the North African country’s longest-serving president, at a cemetery for its independence heroes, but without the honours accorded to his predecessors. Bouteflika died on Friday aged 84, after a career which took him from being the world’s youngest foreign minister to one of its oldest heads of state, but ended with a humbling fall from power. The veteran strongman had lived as a recluse since quitting office in April 2019 after the military abandoned him following weeks of street protests sparked by his bid to run for a fifth presidential term.
His muted funeral, with no lying in state and just three days of national mourning instead of eight, reflected a mixed legacy that left many Algerians indifferent to the ceremony. “Frankly, I’ve got better things to do than follow the funeral of a president who left the country in a terrible state,” retired financial sector employee Fares told AFP in the capital Algiers. But after the burial, around 200 mourners gathered around his tomb and placed flowers on it, an AFP photographer said.
Bouteflika, who had first served as foreign minister in the mid-1960s, swept to the presidency in 1999 on a wave of popular support as his amnesty offer to Islamist militants helped bring an end to a decade-long civil war. But despite economic progress amid high oil prices in the early years of his rule, crude exporter Algeria later saw growing corruption and unemployment which became key drivers of the Hirak pro-democracy movement that eventually ousted him.
Muted ceremony
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune flanked by top government officials attended Sunday’s funeral, while the minister for independence fighters, Laid Rebiga, read an eulogy. An armoured vehicle towed his flag-draped coffin on a gun carriage adorned with flowers and escorted by lines of police on motorcycles. Apart from family members, government members and foreign diplomats attended the ceremony, guarded by blue- and black-uniformed security officers. The procession travelled from Bouteflika‘s residence to the cemetery east of downtown Algiers, as bystanders filmed it with their mobile phones. Tebboune, who succeeded Bouteflika and once served as his premier, placed a wreath of the freshly-dug tomb amid a gun-salute, the official APS news agency reported. Only journalists from state media were given access to the ceremony which was not broadcast live, in contrast to the fanfare of previous presidential deaths. The People’s Palace, where other presidents had lain in state, appeared to have been prepared to display his remains before the interment, but this was cancelled.
Ill health and protests
Bouteflika had wanted to outdo his mentor, the country’s second president Houari Boumediene, by boosting Algeria’s regional influence and turning the page on a civil war in the 1990s which killed around 200,000 people, University of Algiers politics lecturer Louisa Dris Ait Hamadouche said. Instead, “the institutions of the state have never been so weakened, so divided or so discredited,” she said. Dubbed “Boutef” by Algerians, Bouteflika was known for wearing his trademark three-piece suit even in the stifling heat, and won respect as a foreign minister as well as for helping foster post-civil war peace.
Algeria was largely spared the uprisings that swept the Arab world in 2011, something many credited to memories of the civil war and a boost in state handouts. But graft under Bouteflika and his circle left Africa’s largest nation by surface area, with vast oil wealth, with poor infrastructure and high unemployment. Bouteflika also faced criticism from rights groups and opponents who accused him of being authoritarian. He suffered a mini-stroke in April 2013 that affected his speech, and he was forced to use a wheelchair, barely appearing in public during a presidential campaign the following year. His bid in 2019 for a fifth term sparked protests that soon grew into the Hirak pro-democracy movement.
Some Bouteflika-era figures were eventually jailed, including his powerful brother Said, who was however permitted to attend Sunday’s funeral. But many members of the old guard are still running the country. Morocco’s King Mohammed VI was the first head of state to send condolences to Tebboune, despite tensions between the two neighbours. And French President Emmanuel Macron described Bouteflika as a “major figure” in contemporary Algeria.
AFP
About Bouteflika
Abdelaziz Bouteflika (; : عبد العزيز بوتفليقة, : ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz Būtaflīqa ; 2 March 1937 – 17 September 2021) was an Algerian politician and diplomat who served as the seventh from 1999 to his resignation in 2019.
Before his stint as an Algerian politician, Bouteflika served during the as a member of the . After Algeria gained its independence from France, he served as the between 1963 until 1979. He served as during the 1974–1975 session. In 1983 he was convicted of stealing millions of dinars from Algerian embassies during his diplomatic career.
In , Bouteflika was elected in a landslide victory. He would win re-elections in , , and . As President, he presided over the end of the in 2002 when he took over the project of his immediate predecessor President , and he ended in February 2011 amidst . Following a stroke in 2013, Bouteflika had made few public appearances throughout his fourth term, making his final appearance in 2017.
Bouteflika resigned on 2 April 2019 amid months of opposing his candidacy for a fifth term. With nearly 20 years in power, he is the longest-serving head of state of Algeria to date. Following his resignation, Bouteflika became a recluse and died at the age of 84 in 2021, over two years after his resignation.
Early life and education
[]Abdelaziz Bouteflika was born on 2 March 1937 in , Morocco. He was the son of Mansouria Ghezlaoui and Ahmed Bouteflika from , Algeria. He had three half-sisters (Fatima, Yamina, and Aïcha), as well as four brothers (Abdelghani, Mustapha, Abderahim, and Saïd) and one sister (Latifa). , 20 years his junior, would later be appointed special counselor to his brother in 1999. Unlike Saïd, who was raised mostly in , Abdelaziz grew up in , where his father had emigrated as a youngster. The son of a sheikh, he was in the . 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 in Oujda.
In 1956, Bouteflika went to the village of Ouled Amer near Tlemcen and subsequently joined—at the age of 19—the , which was a military branch of the . He received his military education at the École des Cadres in , Morocco. In 1957–1958, he was designated a controller of Wilaya V, making reports on the conditions at the and in west Algeria, but later became the administrative secretary of . He became one of his closest collaborators and a core member of his . 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 against the .
Career
[]Following independence in 1962, Bouteflika became deputy for Tlemcen in the Constituent Assembly and Minister for Youth and Sport in the government led by ; the following year, he was appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs.
He was a prime mover in the that overthrew Ben Bella on 19 June 1965. Bouteflika continued as Minister for Foreign Affairs until the death of President Boumédienne in 1978.
He also served as president of the in 1974 and of the seventh special session in 1975, becoming the youngest person to have done so. Algeria at this time was a leader of the . He had discussions there with in the first talks between the United States and Algerian officials since the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
On 12 November 1974, in his capacity as president of the General Assembly, Bouteflika suspended the then government of from participating in the 29th session of the UN. The suspension was challenged by the US, but upheld by the assembly by a vote of 91 to 22 on 13 November.
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 , 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, corruption and exile
[]Following Boumédienne's unexpected death in 1978, Bouteflika was seen as one of the two main candidates to succeed the powerful president. Bouteflika was thought to represent the party's "right wing" that was more open to economic reform and rapprochement with the West. Colonel Mohamed Salah Yahiaoui represented the "boumédiennist" left wing. In the end, the military opted for a compromise candidate, the senior army colonel . Bouteflika was reassigned the role of Minister of State, but successively lost power as Bendjedid's policies of "de-Boumédiennisation" marginalised the old guard.
In 1981, Bouteflika went into exile fleeing corruption charges. In 1983, he was convicted of corruption. After six years abroad, in 1989, the army brought him back to the Central Committee of the FLN, after the country had entered a troubled period of unrest and disorganised attempts at reform, with power-struggles between Bendjedid and a group of army generals paralysing decision-making.
In 1992, the reform process ended abruptly when the army took power and scrapped elections that were about to bring the fundamentalist to power. This triggered a civil war that would last throughout the 1990s. During this period, Bouteflika stayed on the sidelines, with little presence in the media and no political role. In January 1994, Bouteflika was said to have refused the 's proposal to succeed the assassinated president, ; he claimed later that this was because the army would not grant him full control over the armed forces. Instead, General became president.
First term as President, 1999–2004
[]In 1999, after Zéroual unexpectedly stepped down and announced early elections, Bouteflika successfully ran for president as an independent candidate, supported by the military. All other candidates withdrew from the election immediately prior to the vote, citing fraud concerns. Bouteflika subsequently organised on his policies to restore peace and security to Algeria (involving amnesties for Islamist guerrillas) and to test his support among his countrymen after the contested election. He won with 81% of the vote, but this figure was also disputed by opponents.
Foreign policy
[]Bouteflika presided over the in 2000, secured the Algiers Peace Treaty between and , and supported peace efforts in the region. He also secured a friendship treaty with nearby Spain in 2002, and welcomed president of France on a state visit to in 2003. This was intended as a prelude to the signature of a friendship treaty.
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 remained quite tense, with diplomatic clashes on the issue of the , despite some expectations of a thaw in 1999, which was also the year of 's accession to the throne in Morocco.
Second term as President, 2004–2009
[]On 8 April 2004, Bouteflika was re-elected by an unexpectedly high 85% of the vote in an that was accepted by Western observers as a free and fair election. This was contested by his rival and former chief of staff . Several newspapers alleged that the election had not been fair. Frustration was expressed over extensive state control over the broadcast media. The electoral victory was widely seen as a confirmation of Bouteflika's strengthening control over the state, cemented through forcing General to resign as his chief of staff and replacing him "with , his close friend and ally."
Only 17% of people in voted in 2004, which represented a significant increase over the violence-ridden legislative elections of 2002. Country-wide, the registered turnout rate was 59%.
Reconciliation plan
[]During the first year of his second term, Bouteflika held on his "Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation", inspired by the 1995 "" document. The law born of the referendum showed that one of Bouteflika's goals in promoting this blanket amnesty plan was to help Algeria recover its image internationally and to guarantee immunity to institutional actors.
The first year of Bouteflika's second term implemented the Complementary Plan for Economic Growth Support (PCSC), which aimed for the construction of 1 million housing units, the creation of 2 million jobs, the completion of the , the completion of the Algiers subway project, the delivery of the new , and other similar large scale infrastructure projects.
The PCSC totaled $60 billion of spending over the five-year period. Bouteflika also aimed to bring down the external debt from $21 billion to $12 billion in the same time. He also obtained from Parliament the reform of the law governing the and industries, despite initial opposition from the . However, Bouteflika subsequently stepped back from this position and supported amendments to the hydrocarbon law in 2006, which propose watering down some of the clauses of the 2005 legislation relating to the role of , the state owned oil & gas company, in new developments.
Foreign policy
[]During Bouteflika's second term he was sharply critical of the —passed after the —ordering French history school books to teach that had positive effects abroad, especially in North Africa. The diplomatic crisis which ensued delayed the signing of a friendship treaty between the two countries.
Ties to Russia were strengthened and Russia agreed to forgive debts if Algeria began buying arms and gave Russian gas companies (, , and ) access to joint fossil-fuel ventures in Algeria.
In 2004 Bouteflika organised the Summit and became President of the for one year; however his calls for reform of the League did not gain sufficient support to pass during the Algiers summit.
At the March 2005 meeting of Arab leaders, held in Algiers, Bouteflika spoke out strongly against Israel, "The Israelis' continuous killing and refusal of a comprehensive and lasting peace, which the Arab world is calling for, requires from us to fully support the Palestinian people." Despite criticism from the west, specifically the United States, Bouteflika insisted that Arab nations would reform at their own pace.
On 16 July 2009, , met with Bouteflika on the sidelines of the 15th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in Egypt. President Triet and Bouteflika agreed that the two countries still have great potential for development of political and trade relations. Triet praised the Algerian government for creating favourable conditions for the Oil and Gas Group to invest in oil and gas exploration and exploitation in Algeria.
In March 2016, the foreign ministers of the Arab league voted to declare a terrorist organization, Bouteflika voted with Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq to reject the motion.
In sub-Saharan Africa, a major concern of Bouteflika's Algeria had been on-and-off rebellions in northern . Algeria has asserted itself forcefully as mediator in the conflict, perhaps underlining its growing regional influence. Compromise peace agreements were reached in 2007 and 2008, both mediated by Algiers.
Constitutional amendment for a third term
[]In 2006, Bouteflika appointed a new Prime Minister, . Belkhadem then announced plans that violate the to allow the President to run for office indefinitely and increase his powers. This was widely regarded as aimed to let Bouteflika run for president for a third term. In 2008, Belkhadem was shifted out of the premiership and his predecessor brought in, having also come out in favor of the constitutional amendment.
The Council of Ministers announced on 3 November 2008 that the planned constitutional revision proposal would remove the presidential term limit previously included in Article 74. The endorsed the removal of the term limit on 12 November 2008; only the (RCD) voted against its removal.
Third term as President, 2009–2014
[]Following the constitutional amendment allowing him to run for a third term, on 12 February 2009, Bouteflika announced his independent candidacy in the . On 10 April 2009, it was announced that Bouteflika had won the election with 90.24% of the vote, on a turnout of 74%, thereby obtaining a new five-year term. Several opposition parties had boycotted the election, with the opposition citing a "tsunami of massive fraud".
2010–2012 Algerian protests
[]In 2010, journalists gathered to demonstrate for press freedom and against Bouteflika's self-appointed role as editor-in-chief of Algeria's state television station. In February 2011, the government rescinded the state of emergency that had been in place since 1992 but still banned all protest gatherings and demonstrations. However, in April 2011, over 2,000 protesters defied an official ban and took to the streets of Algiers, clashing with police forces. Protesters noted that they were inspired by the recent , and that Algeria was a police state and "corrupt to the bone".
Fourth term as President, 2014–2019
[]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. Several opposition parties boycotted the election again, resulting in allegations of fraud.
Bouteflika cabled his congratulations to freshly-reelected on 19 April 2014. Bouteflika was admitted to a clinic at in France in November 2014. In November 2016, he was hospitalized in France for medical checks.
On 20 February 2017, the canceled her trip to Algeria an hour before takeoff, reportedly because Bouteflika had severe .
In June 2017, Bouteflika made a rare, and brief, appearance on Algerian state television presiding over a cabinet meeting with his new government. In a written statement, he ordered the government to reduce imports, curb spending, and be wary of foreign debt. He called for banking sector reform and more investment in renewable energy and "unconventional fossil hydrocarbons". Bouteflika was reliant on a wheelchair and had not given a speech in public since 2014 due to following his stroke. That same year, he made his final public appearance while unveiling a new metro station and the newly renovated in Algiers.
During his final term as president, Bouteflika was usually not been seen in public for more than two years, and several of his close associates had not seen him for more than one year. It was alleged that he could hardly speak and communicated by letter with his ministers.
Candidacy for fifth term, protests, and resignation
[]On 10 February 2019, a press release signed by the long-ailing Bouteflika announcing he would seek a fifth consecutive term provoked widespread discontent. Youth protesters demanded his picture be removed from city halls in and in the days before the national demonstrations on 22 February, organized via social media. Those in Algiers, where street protests are illegal, were the biggest in nearly 18 years. Protestors ripped down a giant poster of Bouteflika from the landmark Algiers central post office.
On 11 March 2019, after sustained protests, Bouteflika announced that he would not seek a new term. However, his withdrawal from the elections was not enough to end the protests. On 31 March 2019, Bouteflika along with the Prime Minister who had taken office 20 days earlier, formed a 27-member cabinet with only 6 of the appointees being retained from the outgoing president administration. The next day, Bouteflika announced that he would resign by 28 April 2019. Acceding to demands by the army chief of staff, he ultimately resigned a day later, on 2 April 2019.
Following his resignation, Bouteflika resumed his reclusiveness and made no public appearances due to failing health. Bouteflika spent his final years in a medicalised state residence in , a suburb of Algiers. He also had a private residence in .
Personal life and death
[]In November 2005, Bouteflika was admitted to a hospital in France, reportedly had a , and discharged three weeks later. However, the length of time for which Bouteflika remained virtually incommunicado led to rumours that he was critically ill with stomach cancer. He checked into the hospital again in April 2006.
A leaked diplomatic cable revealed that, by the end of 2008, Bouteflika had developed .
In 2013, Bouteflika had a debilitating stroke. A journalist, Hichem Aboud, was pursued for "threatening national security, territorial integrity, and normal management of the Republic's institutions" and the newspapers for which he wrote were censored, because he wrote that the President had returned from in a "comatose state" and had characterized Saïd Bouteflika as the puppet-master running the administration.
On 17 September 2021 Bouteflika died at his home in Zéralda from cardiac arrest at the age of 84. His death was announced by a statement from the office of President . He had been in failing health since he had a stroke in 2013. President Tebboune declared three days of national mourning after his death. He was buried at the on 19 September in a subdued ceremony.
Criticism
[]Bouteflika's rule was marred by allegations of fraud and vote-tampering at elections from 1999 to 2019. He had already been convicted in 1983 of corruption. Per he held an account, during much of his presidency with a maximum balance worth over 1.4 million Swiss francs ($1.1 million) along with other family members.
Awards and honours
[]Awards
[]- In 2004 he received presented by , President of the .
State honours
[]| Ribbon bar | Country | Honour | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Grand Collar of the | 27 April 1999 (ex-officio) | |
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Knight Grand Cross with Collar | 15 November 1999 | |
 |
Medal of the | 6 May 2001 | |
 |
Collar of the | 5 October 2002 | |
 |
Grand Collar of the | 14 January 2003 | |
 |
Grand Star of the | 17 June 2003 | |
 |
Grand Cross with Diamonds of the | 18 May 2005 | |
 |
Grand Collar of the | 2 February 2006 | |
 |
Grand Cross of the | 11 March 2006 | |
 |
Medal of the | 2006 | |
 |
Grand Cross with Chain of the | 30 May 2007 | |
 |
Grand Cross of the | 2009 | |
 |
Recipient of the | 22 December 2014 | |
 |
Grand Cordon of the | 2015 | |
 |
Grand Cross of the | 31 August 2015 | |
 |
Honorary Companions of Honour with Collar of the | 20 January 2016 | |
 |
Grand Cross of the | 5 February 2016 |
- (in French)
- Media related to at Wikimedia Commons
- (In French)
