Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali summary

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Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, (born Sept. 3, 1938, near Sousse, Tun.), President of Tunisia (1987–2011). Trained as a soldier, he headed the defense ministry’s military intelligence section for 10 years (1964–74) before entering the foreign service. He served as ambassador to Poland before returning home to hold several domestic government posts, which culminated in a dual appointment as prime minister and interior minister. In 1987 he replaced Pres. Habib Bourguiba, who had been declared medically unfit. He was returned to office in elections in 1989, 1994, 1999, 2004, and 2009. In 2011, amid an unprecedented level of popular protest against poverty, unemployment, and political repression, he stepped down from the presidency and fled the country.

president Summary

President, in government, the officer in whom the chief executive power of a nation is vested. The president of a republic is the head of state, but the actual power of the president varies from country to country; in the United States, Africa, and Latin America the presidential office is charged

government Summary

Government, the political system by which a country or community is administered and regulated. Most of the key words commonly used to describe governments—words such as monarchy, oligarchy, and democracy—are of Greek or Roman origin. They have been current for more than 2,000 years and have not

Tunisia Summary

Tunisia, country of North Africa. Tunisia’s accessible Mediterranean Sea coastline and strategic location have attracted conquerors and visitors through the ages, and its ready access to the Sahara has brought its people into contact with inhabitants of the African interior. According to Greek