Beji Caid Essebsi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Beji Caid Essebsi
الباجي قائد السبسي |
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Essebsi in 2011
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| President of Tunisia | |
| In office 31 December 2014 – 25 July 2019 |
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| Prime Minister | Mehdi Jomaa Habib Essid Youssef Chahed |
| Preceded by | Moncef Marzouki |
| Succeeded by | Mohamed Ennaceur |
| Prime Minister of Tunisia | |
| In office 28 February 2011 – 24 December 2011 |
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| President | Fouad Mebazaa (Acting) Moncef Marzouki |
| Preceded by | Mohamed Ghannouchi |
| Succeeded by | Hamadi Jebali |
| Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies | |
| In office 14 March 1990 – 9 October 1991 |
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| President | Zine El Abidine Ben Ali |
| Preceded by | Slaheddine Baly |
| Succeeded by | Habib Boularès |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 15 April 1981 – 15 September 1986 |
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| Prime Minister | Mohammed Mzali Rachid Sfar |
| Preceded by | Hassen Belkhodja |
| Succeeded by | Hédi Mabrouk |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Mohamed Beji Caid Essebsi
29 November 1926 Sidi Bou Said, French Tunisia |
| Died | 25 July 2019 (aged 92) Tunis, Tunisia |
| Resting place | Jellaz Cemetery |
| Political party | Nidaa Tounes (2012–2019) |
| Other political affiliations |
Neo Destour/PSD/RCD (1941–2005) Independent (2011–2012) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
| Signature |  |
Beji Caid Essebsi (born November 29, 1926 – died July 25, 2019) was an important politician from Tunisia. He was the 6th president of Tunisia from 2014 until he passed away in 2019. Before becoming president, he also served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Prime Minister.
Essebsi's political journey lasted for over sixty years. He played a key role in helping Tunisia become a democracy. He started the Nidaa Tounes political party. This party won the most seats in the 2014 parliamentary election. In December 2014, he won Tunisia's first free presidential election after the Tunisian Revolution. This made him the first president chosen by the people in a democratic way.
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Early Life and Family
Beji Caid Essebsi was born in 1926 in Sidi Bou Said, Tunisia. His family was well-known and came from Sardinia, an island near Italy. His great-grandfather was taken from Sardinia by pirates in the 1800s. This ancestor later became an important government official after converting to Islam.
Political Journey
Essebsi first got involved in politics in 1941. He joined a youth group of the Neo Destour party. In 1950, he went to Paris, France, to study law. He started his career as a lawyer, helping activists from the Neo-Destour party.
After Tunisia became independent from France in 1956, Essebsi worked closely with Tunisia's leader, Habib Bourguiba. He was a supporter of the movement for independence and later became Bourguiba's advisor.
From 1957 to 1971, Essebsi held many important jobs under Bourguiba. These included Interior Minister and Defense Minister. He also served as Ambassador to Paris. In 1971, he left his job to push for more democracy in Tunisia.
In 1981, he returned to the government as Minister of Foreign Affairs. He held this position until 1986. Later, from 1990 to 1991, he was the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies.
Serving as Interim Prime Minister in 2011
In February 2011, after the Tunisian Revolution, the Prime Minister resigned. The acting President, Fouad Mebazaa, chose Beji Caid Essebsi to be the new Prime Minister. He was seen as a patriotic and loyal person.
However, some young protesters were not happy with this choice. They felt he was appointed without enough discussion. There were also concerns about the government being influenced by old political groups. Essebsi strongly denied these claims.
After new elections in October 2011, Essebsi left his role as Prime Minister. A new interim president appointed a new Prime Minister.
Winning the 2014 Elections
After leaving office, Essebsi started a new political party called Nidaa Tounes. This party won the most seats in the parliamentary election in October 2014. He then ran for president in Tunisia's first free presidential elections.
On December 22, 2014, the official results showed that Essebsi had won the election. He received 55.68% of the votes. He said he dedicated his victory to "the martyrs of Tunisia."
President of Tunisia
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Essebsi became President on December 31, 2014, at 88 years old. He was the first president of modern Tunisia chosen by free elections. He promised to be a president for all Tunisians. He also stressed the importance of different groups working together.
As president, Essebsi helped Tunisia keep its progress towards democracy. In 2016, he appointed Youssef Chahed as Prime Minister. In 2017, he suggested changing laws to give women equal rights, especially regarding inheritance. He also wanted Tunisian women to be able to marry non-Muslims.
In 2018, he proposed changes to Tunisia's election laws. He felt these laws needed to be updated to match the goals of the revolution. He also promised to introduce a bill to give women equal inheritance rights.
In April 2019, Essebsi announced that he would not run for a second term as president. He said it was time to "open the door to the youth." He was recognized for strengthening democracy in Tunisia, even during economic challenges and security issues.
Illness and Passing
On June 27, 2019, Essebsi was taken to the hospital due to a serious illness. His condition improved the next day.
However, he was admitted to the hospital again on July 24, 2019. He passed away the next day, July 25, 2019. This was five months before his term as president was supposed to end.
After his death, Tunisia declared seven days of mourning. Several other countries also announced three days of mourning. The United Nations held a moment of silence and lowered its flags.
Because of his passing, a new election for president was held sooner than planned. The president of the Assembly of Representatives of the People, Mohamed Ennaceur, became acting president.
His state funeral took place on July 27 in Carthage. Many important people from around the world attended. These included presidents, kings, and other leaders. A procession carried him from the Carthage Palace to Jellaz Cemetery, where he was buried.
Personal Life
Essebsi married Chadlia Saïda Farhat on February 8, 1958. They had four children: two daughters named Amel and Salwa, and two sons named Mohamed Hafedh and Khélil. His wife passed away in September 2019, almost two months after him.
Honors and Awards
Tunisian National Medals
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Grand Master & Grand Collar of the Order of Independence |
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Grand Master & Grand Collar of the Order of the Republic |
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Grand Master & Grand Collar of the National Order of Merit of Tunisia |
Foreign Honors
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Medal of Honor of the Republic of Algeria (2013)
Collar of the Order of Sheikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa (Bahrain; 2016)
Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Renaissance (Jordan; 2015)
Collar of the Order of King Abdulaziz (Saudi Arabia; 2019)
Knight Grand Cross with Collar of Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (2017)
Honorary Companions of Honour with Collar of the National Order of Merit (Malta; 2019)
Grand Collar of the State of Palestine (2017)
Second Class of the Order of the Republic of Serbia (2016)
Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit (Spain; 1969)
Knight of the Order of the Seraphim (Sweden; 2015)
Collar of the Order of the State of Republic of Turkey (2017)
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Awards
- Honorary Degree from Paris-Sorbonne University (2015)
- Founder's Award of International Crisis Group (2015)
- Freedom of the City of Amman (2015)
- Medal of Arab tourism (2017)
- Tunisian Politician of the Year (2017)
- Leadership Award of Global Hope Coalition (2018)
Images for kids
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Essebsi giving a speech at the political office of the Socialist Destourian Party.
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Essebsi in Stade Chedly Zouiten in 1960.
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Essebsi decorated by Habib Bourguiba in 1966.
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Essebsi as Minister of Defense.
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Essebsi with president Bourguiba
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Beji Caid Essebsi at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1981.
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Essebsi and Ahmed Taleb Ibrahimi signing a treaty between Tunisia and Algeria in 1983.
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Beji Caid Essebsi and Hillary Clinton in Washington in 2011.
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Essebsi at a press conference with Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi in 2011.
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Essebsi and US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter at the Pentagon in 2015.
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Essebsi during meeting with John Kerry in May 2015.
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Essebsi receiving a delegation in the presidential palace.
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Essebsi oversees a MOU between his adviser Mohsen Marzouk and John Kerry in 2015.
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President Essebsi with the Vice President of India, Hamid Ansari, in June 2016.
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Essebsi with Secretary-General of the ITU Houlin Zhao.
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Beji Caid Essebsi at the Carthage Presidential Palace.
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Essebsi with US Secretary of State John Kerry in September 2016 in New York City.
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Funeral of Beji Caid Essebsi in 2019.
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The funeral procession of President Beji Caid Essebsi.
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The car transporting Essebsi during his funeral.
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The body of the late Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi
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See also
In Spanish: Béji Caïd Essebsi para niños
