Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali was born on September 3, 1936, in the city of Hammam-Sousse, located on the northern coast of Tunisia. He grew up in a large family and became involved in the anti-colonial movement while attending secondary school, which led to several arrests by the police. After Tunisia gained independence, he was sent to study in France, where he attended military school and completed his education at the American School of Security and Intelligence and the US Air Defense School.
From 1958 to 1974, Ben Ali served as an officer in the Tunisian army's general staff and later led the army's security service, in the organization of which he played an active role. In 1974, he began his diplomatic career as a military attaché in Morocco and later served as the ambassador to Poland from 1979 to 1984. Upon his return to Tunisia, Ben Ali became the head of the national security service and led the operation to quell mass protests that occurred in the country in 1984.
In June 1986, he joined the Politburo of the Socialist Destourian Party (SDP), which was later renamed the Democratic Constitutional Rally (DCR), and was appointed as the country's prime minister in October 1987. In the night of November 7, 1987, he led a bloodless constitutional coup that ousted the 84-year-old lifelong president Habib Bourguiba (on the pretext of his poor health) and assumed the post of head of state. He was officially elected as president in 1989, receiving 99.27% of the votes from the electorate. He was re-elected as president in 1994, 1999, and 2004.
At the beginning of his presidency, Ben Ali pursued a policy of building socialism according to the "Tunisian model." From 1988, the country began to implement an economic program called the "new strategy," which was based on the development of entrepreneurship, including foreign investment. In 1995, Tunisia became an associate member of the European Union.
Ben Ali is known as a flexible and wise politician when it comes to issues related to Islam. He managed to isolate the movement of Islamic fundamentalists in the country. While supporting the religious institutions existing in Tunisia and encouraging the preservation of Muslim values and traditions, he also pursued a tough course on separating Islam from politics.
Ben Ali is the Secretary-General of the Democratic Constitutional Rally (DCR) party and ran as its candidate, winning the presidential elections in 1994, 1999, and 2004. In 2002, a referendum granted Ben Ali the right to participate in the next elections, and he won the presidential race on October 24, 2004, defeating two other candidates.
The government of Tunisia has prioritized the development of education, science, and high technology. The country's capital was chosen as the venue for the United Nations World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), which took place from November 16 to 18, 2005, with representatives from 170 countries and 50 heads of state attending.
Ben Ali is actively involved in international activities. Since May 2004, he has been the Chairman of the Arab League. He supports Palestine and advocates for the establishment of a just peace in the Middle East. On January 30, 2006, at the opening of the International Forum on "Civilizations and Cultures: From Dialogue to Integration," held in Tunis, Ben Ali emphasized the importance and necessity of more trusting and deeper dialogue between the West and the Arab and Muslim world. The Ben Ali government maintains friendly relations with Russia. The President of Tunisia met with President Vladimir Putin as part of the Millennium Summit (New York, 2000) and hosted the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs during his visit to Tunisia in April 2002.
Ben Ali holds the rank of Army General (since 1979) and has received Tunisian and foreign orders. He lives and works in a residence located in Carthage, Tunisia.
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Феофан Прокопович
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Исмаил-Паша
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Фукидид
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Гортензий, Квинт
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Вебер, Эрнст Генрих
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Цельс, Авл Корнелий
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Надь, Ференц
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Гуго Капет
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Хань Шу
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Инквизиция
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