Zeroual, Liamine

born July 3, 1941, Batna, Alg.

President of Algeria (1994–99).

After a military education, he rose through the ranks to become chief of land forces in 1989 and defense minister in 1993. In 1994 he was appointed transitional president by the military-dominated High Council of State, which had taken over the government after elections were canceled in 1992 and Pres. Mohamed Boudiaf was assassinated. Elected for a full term in 1995, he was replaced in 1999 by Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

* * *

▪ 1997

      As the violent struggle between Islamic fundamentalists and Algeria's military-dominated government continued in 1996, Pres. Liamine Zeroual unveiled proposals for constitutional reforms aimed at resolving his country's severe domestic crisis. The proposed reforms, which Zeroual outlined publicly in May, included prohibiting displays of militancy by Algeria's political parties, establishing a senate and supreme court, and promoting a free-market economy. The proposals marked the culmination of months of effort by Zeroual to lay the groundwork for an end to the Islamic insurgency, in which more than 40,000 Algerians had died since 1992.

      Zeroual was born on July 3, 1941, in the military quarter of Batna, Alg. He joined the Algerian army at the age of 16 and fought against France during Algeria's war of independence. In 1965 Zeroual went to the U.S.S.R. for military training, after which he was posted to Sidi bel Abbes, Alg., to head an artillery unit. During the 1970s and '80s, he rose steadily through the army's ranks, commanding three of Algeria's key military regions before being named (1989) land forces chief.

      That same year Zeroual resigned from the army after a dispute with Pres. Chadli Bendjedid. He later served (1990-91) as ambassador to Romania, and he was named Algeria's defense minister in 1993. Following his appointment as president by the High Security Council in January 1994, Zeroual attempted on two occasions to broker peace negotiations with the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), Algeria's main opposition party. Although both attempts ended in failure, Zeroual continued to express an openness to future negotiations on the condition that the FIS would renounce the use of violence.

      With his easy victory in Algeria's first multicandidate presidential elections on Nov. 16, 1995, Zeroual legitimized his status as Algeria's head of state. Stressing peace and reconciliation as the twin themes of his presidency, he declared as his goal a broad-based government in which both secular and Islamic parties would work together toward implementing democracy. Although the FIS rejected Zeroual's blueprint for constitutional reform, most of Algeria's legal opposition parties voted in favour of the reforms at a national conference held in September 1996. The new constitution was approved by referendum in November. As part of a pact aimed at ending Algeria's crisis and bloodshed, Zeroual also promised legislative elections in 1997. (SHERMAN HOLLAR)

* * *