The party became a cult of personality around Ben Ali, who took power in 1987 as a reformer, but quickly proved himself more repressive than his predecessor, Habib Bourguiba. Advertisement ...

Zine el Abidine Ben Ali will be remembered as the first leader to be toppled in what became known as the Arab Spring. After nearly 24 years in power, he became the former president of Tunisia.

Ben Ali’s ouster on Jan. 14, 2011, amid Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution inspired what became known as the Arab Spring, ... Ben Ali seized power from then-President-for-Life Habib Bourguiba, ...

A career soldier, Ben Ali took power on November 7, 1987 when he toppled Habib Bourguiba, the ailing father of Tunisian independence who was by then reported to be senile.

But in November 1987, a mere year after becoming premier, Ben Ali toppled Bourguiba in a bloodless coup after doctors declared the then-president to be incapacitated, at a time when the country ...

His rapid departure in 2011 sparked a string of similar uprisings across the region, toppling Egyptian and Libyan strongmen Hosni Mubarak and Muammar Gaddafi.

The Tunisian government signaled a tough decision last week to reduce the public-sector payroll by 3,000 to lower its budget deficit. This may be a long-awaited sign that President Beji Caid ...

President Essebsi is pushing a social reform agenda but he should be careful not take an authoritarian turn.