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Algeria’s ex-president Abdelaziz Bouteflika dies aged 84 — TV

Bouteflika ruled the country between 1999 and 2019

Abdelaziz Bouteflika Alexander Shcherbak/TASS

Abdelaziz Bouteflika

© Alexander Shcherbak/TASS

CAIRO, September 18. /TASS/. Former Algerian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who ruled the country between 1999 and 2019, has died at the age of 84, the country’s TV1 state television channel reported on Friday night.

"Former Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has passed away," the channel quoted the presidential administration as saying in a statement.

Bouteflika was elected president in 1999, securing 74% of the vote, and was re-elected thrice. According to several political experts, he managed to end the so-called ‘black decade’ in his country - a period of civil conflict in Algeria in 1990s. Under Bouteflika’s rule, a nationwide referendum was held in 2005 to approve the Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation, which de-facto ended the bloody conflict in the country.

The politician suffered from serious health problems during his last years in office, moving around in wheelchair. His decision to run in the upcoming presidential polls, announced in February 2019, triggered unprecedented protests in the country. Bouteflika had to withdraw from the polls, but the protest continued, eventually leading to a profound political crisis. As a result, Bouteflika stepped down on April 2, 2019.

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