Liamine Zéroual facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Liamine Zéroual
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اليمين زروال
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![]() Zéroual in 1994
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6th President of Algeria | |
In office 31 January 1994 – 27 April 1999 |
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Prime Minister | Redha Malek Mokdad Sifi Ahmed Ouyahia Smail Hamdani |
Preceded by | Ali Kafi |
Succeeded by | Abdelaziz Bouteflika |
Minister of Defence | |
In office 10 July 1993 – 27 April 1999 |
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Preceded by | Khaled Nezzar |
Succeeded by | Abdelaziz Bouteflika |
Personal details | |
Born | Batna, French Algeria |
3 July 1941
Political party | Independent |
Military service | |
Allegiance | Algeria |
Branch/service | Armée de Libération Nationale (ALN) People's National Army (PNP) |
Years of service | ALN 1957–1962 PNP 1962–1989 |
Rank | Major General |
Commands | Cherchell Military Academy 1981–1982 Tamanrasset Military Region 1982–1984 |
Battles/wars | Algerian War |
Liamine Zéroual (born July 3, 1941) is an Algerian politician. He served as the sixth President of Algeria from January 31, 1994, to April 27, 1999.
Contents
Biography of Liamine Zéroual
Liamine Zéroual was born in Batna. When he was 16 years old, in 1957, he joined the National Liberation Army (ALN). This army fought for Algeria's independence from French rule.
Early Military Career
After Algeria gained its independence, Zéroual received military training. He studied in Cairo, Egypt, then in Moscow, Soviet Union (from 1965 to 1966), and finally in Paris, France.
He held several important military positions:
- In 1975, he took command of a military school in Batna.
- In 1981, he became the commander of the Cherchell Military Academy.
- In 1982, he was made commander of the Tamanrasset military region.
- In 1984, he commanded the 3rd Military Region near the Moroccan border.
- In 1987, he became commander of the Constantine region.
In 1988, he was promoted to general. The next year, in 1989, he became the head of the ground forces.
Political Roles and Presidency
Zéroual left the army in 1989. This happened after he disagreed with President Chadli Bendjedid about plans to reorganize the army. For a short time, he served as Algeria's ambassador to Romania.
His political career advanced after President Bendjedid resigned in January 1992. In July 1993, Zéroual became the Minister of Defense. In January 1994, he was chosen to lead the High Council of State. This council was in charge of the country at the time.
In November 1995, Liamine Zéroual was elected President of Algeria. He held this position until the next elections in 1999. He was known for trying to find peaceful solutions during the Algerian Civil War. He supported talks to help end the conflict.
On December 25, 1994, a plane called Air France Flight 8969 was hijacked. After some civilians were harmed, Zéroual allowed the hijacked plane to leave Algerian territory.
Later Years and Decisions
Many people wanted Zéroual to run for president again in the 2009 Algerian presidential election. However, he announced on January 14, 2009, that he would not run. He also suggested that it would not be good for democracy if President Abdelaziz Bouteflika ran for a third term.
Zéroual also chose not to run in the 2014 Algerian presidential election. In 2019, he stated that he had turned down a request to lead a temporary government. This request came from Mohamed Mediene, who used to be the head of the Department of Intelligence and Security. This happened after President Bouteflika resigned during the Hirak protests.
Honours
National honour
External links
- MEDEA: Liamine Zeroual
- Liamine Zéroual collected news and commentary at The New York Times
Political offices | ||
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Preceded by Ali Kafi as Chairman of the High Council of State |
President of Algeria 1994–1999 |
Succeeded by Abdelaziz Bouteflika |
See also
In Spanish: Liamine Zéroual para niños