Ben ali tunisia biography sample

Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia’s long-standing president, left the country amid violent protests on 14 January 2011, after 23 years in power.

He survived such a long term as president by mixing authoritarian rule with a degree of prosperity and stability for his people.

On November 7, 1987, he toppled Habib Bourguiba, the ailing father of Tunisian independence who was by then reported to be senile, all Tunisians hailed his “bloodless, non-violent takeover.”

His supporters hailed him as the “saviour” of a rudderless country and credited him with laying the foundation for a liberal economy and with nipping in the bud the Islamist Ennahdha party.

Western governments viewed him as an effective bulwark against Islamist extremism despite criticism of his slow moves toward democracy.

Upon taking office, he scrapped the title of “president for life” created by Bourguiba and limited the number of presidential terms to three.

On the social front, he l