Habib Bourguiba
Habib Ben Ali Bourguiba (born August 3, 1903 in Monastir – died April 6, 2000) was the President of Tunisia from 1957 to 1987. He often compared to Turkish leader Kemal Atatürk because of the pro-Western reforms enacted during his administration. Bourguiba was installed as president in 1957 after the overthrow of the Bey Muhammad al-Amin, Tunisia's constitutional monarch. Regarded as an ideological moderate, he promoted secularism and women's rights. He was chosen as President for Life by the Tunisian parliament in 1975, although a liberalization program began in 1981 following the sacking of conservative Prime Minister Hédi Nouira. His presidency was terminated when his advanced age and increasing senility led Prime Minister Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to stage a coup d'état against his government. Bourguiba was subsequently held under house arrest in Monastir until his death.
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