Former Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika dies at age 84

SANAA, Sept. 18 (YPA) – Algerian state television says former Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who fought for independence from France and was ousted from power in 2019 amid pro-democracy protests, has died at age 84.

He was born in the Moroccan city of Oujda, Abdelaziz Bouteflika joined the Algerian National Liberation Army at the age of 19 in 1956 after completing high school.

Bouteflika took office in 1999, Algeria’s first civilian leader in more than three decades.

He became  Algeria’s 10th president since its founding and seventh since the country’s independence from France

In April 2004, Bouteflika won a second term after a fierce election campaign in which he faced former Prime Minister Ali Ben Fleiss, winning 84.99 percent of the vote and Ben Filis receiving only 6.42 percent.

In April 2009, He was then re-elected in 2009 and 2013, amid charges of fraud and a lack of powerful challengers.

Bouteflika won a fourth term in Algeria’s presidential election in April 2014, with election results revealing an 81.53 percent majority.

On April 2, 2019, Bouteflika announced his resignation from Algeria’s presidency, after months of widespread protests over his fifth term.

Bouteflika became Algeria’s longest-serving president with nearly 20 years in power, from 1999 to 2019.

E.M