Acting

Houari Boumédiène

Mohamed Boukherouba (in Arabic: محمد بوخروبة), known as Houari Boumédiène (in Arabic: هواري بومدين), born August 23, 1932 in Aïn Hassainia located near Guelma and died December 27, 1978 in Algiers, is a colonel and an Algerian statesman. He was the second Algerian head of state from 1965 to 1976 and then President of the Republic from 1976 to 1978. A career soldier, Chief of the General Staff of the National Liberation Army from 1959 to 1962, he held high state positions, including being Minister of Defense under Ben Bella I in September 1962, a position he combined with that of Vice-President of the Council during the presidency of Ahmed Ben Bella from May 1963 to June 1965. Following a coup d'état described by his supporters as a "revolutionary readjustment", Houari Boumédiène became President of the Council of the Revolution on June 20, 1965, until December 10, 1976, when he was elected President of the Republic, until his death on December 27, 1978, while keeping his portfolio as Minister of Defense. He was president of the National Liberation Front from the coup d'état and during his term as President of the Republic.