Background
Zine el Abidine Ben Ali was born on September 3, 1936 in Hamman-Sousse, Tunisia.
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Ben Zine el Abidine Ali
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On November 7, 1987, Zine el Abidine Ben Ali removed the aging and infirm President Habib Bourguiba from office, assuming the position of president.
He had removed the aged, ill Habib Bourguiba from the presidency, citing mental infirmity as the main reason for his action.
Tunisia was being swept along with North African and Middle Eastern events.
Into this void stepped Zine Ben Ali.
Zine Ben Ali organized and administered the Tunisian Military Security Department from 1964 until 1974.
This was an important step in his rise to prominence in that it served to make Zine Ben Ali aware of the many internal problems faced by Tunisia as part of the North African and Arab Islamic world.
It was during this three-year tenure that he became aware of the deteriorating conditions within the Tunisian government and of the outside forces which were threatening Tunisian internal security.
There was increasing interest in the charismatic, troublesome Libyan strongman Muammar Qaddaffi (Gaddafi), whose anti-Western, anti-Israeli posturing attracted the attention of many Tunisian youth.
There was a rising tide of feeling in support of the Palestinian cause as many Palestinians migrated to Tunisia.
Zine Ben Ali tended to interpret his own support for the Palestinian homeland in the light of his anti-colonialist activities prior to Tunisian independence.
He became very much aware of the strength of Islamic revivalism in Tunisia, which, in reality, was little different from other Arab states.
As the national security chief for Tunisia, Zine Ben Ali was able to see that there were many problems pressing in on a state which appeared to have less and less direction from the top.
From 1980 to 1984 Zine served in an important post as Tunisian ambassador to Poland, and in 1984 he was recalled to Tunis to assume the post of head of national security.
As prime minister he replaced Muhammad Mzali, the man who had been designated to replace the now failing Bourguiba.
Mzali had come to the prime ministership with high hopes, but found that external pressures and internal economic, political, and religious discord kept Tunisia from developing viable programs.
Mzali and a few supporters fled to France, but there were few violent reactions to the change of government.
Zine took steps to deal with the crisis and ensured domestic order without resorting to massive police or army intervention or repression.
The following year, the U. S. State Department asked Congress for authorization to increase funds for assistance to Tunisia for fiscal year 1990.
In what he described as measures "beyond simple considerations of security", he used swift and effective police actions to deal a defeating blow to militiant Islamic groups, sending their leaders into exile.
In 1994 Zine was re-elected president in an unopposed election.
For his long time support of youth sports and promotion of olympic values, Zine was presented the Olympic Merit Award in 1996 by the Association of National Olympic Committees.
During the same year he welcomed the visiting Pope John Paul II to Tunisia and also received the "Health for All" Gold Medal from the World Health Organization.
During a speech on the 9th anniversary of his accession to the presidency, Zine announced the creation of a political academy thay would help increase popular participation in national domestic issues.
Achievements
Politics
Zine el Abidine Ben Ali belonged to different parties: Socialist Destourian Party (1986–1988), Constitutional Democratic Rally (1988–2011), Independent (from 2011).
Connections
Zine el Abidine Ben Ali married twice: Na'ima el-Kafy (1964–1988), Leïla Ben Ali (1992–). He has 6 children.
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Born
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Nationality
Tunisian -
Political Party
Independent Party