Boualem Benhamouda

Benhamouda was born on March 8, 1933 in Cherchell, Algeria. As a young man, he was a member of the General Union of Algerian Muslim Students and participated in the 1956 strike before joining the FLN.^[1] He studied law at the University of Algiers, but left to fight in the FLN where he was wounded in 1957.^[1] He completed a doctorate in law in 1971.^[1] Benhamouda became a member of the political bureau in Tlemcen after Algerian independence in 1962, and was elected to the People's National Assembly in September 1962.^[1]

Between 1965 and 1986, Benhamouda held several ministerial positions, including Minister of Justice under Houari Boumédiène from 1970 to 1977.^[2] In the middle of his term, he was replaced by Abdelmalek Benhabyles and appointed to be Minister of Public Works, where he served until 1979.^[3] In 1980, he was appointed Minister of the Interior where he served until 1982.^[4] From 1982 to 1986, Benhamouda served as the Minister of Finance.^[5]

Benhamouda was elected Secretary-General of the FLN in 1996, just after the Algerian Civil War and the conflict with the FIS.^[6] His predecessor, Abdelhamid Mehri, had been disowned from the old guard of the FLN for pursuing peaceful dialogue in Rome with the FIS.^[6] Benhamouda, a representative of this old guard, was elected with 89 votes to Mouloud Hamrouche's 82.^[7] Benhamouda was forced to resign in 2001 after the party base of the FLN called for change, and he praised his successor Ali Benflis.^[8]

After retiring from politics, Benhamouda wrote books and dictionaries in French and Arabic, along with histories of the Algerian War and French influence in Algeria.^[9]