Ahmed Ouyahia

Prime Minister of Algeria

(Encyclopedia Britannica, Wikipedia, BBC)

Ahmed Ouyahia was born on July 2nd, 1952 in Bouadnane, Tizi Ouzou wilaya. He completed his secondary education in Algiers and graduated from l'Ecole Nationale d'Administration in 1976. He began working for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1978 and became Algeria's co-representative to the United Nations Security Council in 1988. In 1992 he was named Ambassador to Mali, where he helped to secure a peace deal between the Malian government and a Touareg movement. He served as Under Secretary of State for African and Arab Affairs under Prime Minister Redha Malek beginning in 1993 and the following year President Liamine Zeroual placed him in charge of negotiations with the banned Islamic Salvation Front party. He was first nominated Prime Minister in December 1995, a position he held until December 1999. In 2000 Ouyahia was elected leader of the National Rally for Democracy.

Under President Bouteflika, he served as Minister of State and Minister of Justice beginning in 2000. Working with Anthony Lake, the United States' former National Security Advisor to President Bill Clinton, Ouyahia secured a peace deal between Ethiopia and Eritrea. In May 2003, President Bouteflika nominated Ouyahia as Prime Minister for a second time. He remained in that position until May 2006 when he was replaced by Abdelaziz Belkhadem. President Bouteflika named him to the premiership for the third time in June 2008.