Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali obituary

Former president of Tunisia who fled to Saudi Arabia after the 2011 uprising

Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia's autocratic former president who fled to Saudi Arabia in 2011 after a popular uprising, has died aged 83. The revolution that led to his downfall inspired uprisings in neighbouring countries that came to be viewed as the Arab Spring. But while Tunisia managed a steady transition to democracy, with free elections held last Sunday, economically many people are no better off.

Ben Ali became president in November 1987 after Habib Bourguiba, the founder of modern Tunisia and president-for-life, was deemed to be too senile to rule. Bourguiba had appointed Ben Ali prime minister the previous month, and a popular, bloodless palace coup - "The Change" - followed.

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