Algeria Mourns Ex-President Liamine Zeroual Following Death at 84

Former Algerian president Liamine Zeroual has died at the age of 84, prompting the government to declare three days of national mourning.

Zeroual, born on July 3, 1941, in Batna in eastern Algeria, was a former military officer who served in the National Liberation Army (FLN), the movement that fought for independence from France.

He assumed leadership during a transitional period amid civil unrest and later oversaw the country’s first multi-party presidential election in 1995, which he won by a large margin.

In 1998, he made a surprise decision to shorten his presidency, stepping aside before the end of his five-year mandate. He was succeeded by Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who remained in power for 20 years.

The Algerian presidency confirmed that Zeroual died at a military hospital in Algiers after a prolonged illness. As part of the national tribute, flags will be flown at half-mast.

Zeroual continued to be regarded as an important and respected figure in Algerian political history after leaving office.

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