Prime Minister of Morocco (1998–2002)
Abderrahmane Youssoufi ( ahb-deh-RAH-mahn YOO-soo-fee; Arabic: عبد الرحمن اليوسفي; 8 March 1924 – 29 May 2020) was a Moroccan politician and human rights lawyer who served as the 12th Prime Minister of Morocco from 1998 to 2002,[1][2] serving under King Hassan II and King Mohammed VI.[3][4] He was the Secretary General of the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (French: Union Socialiste des Forces Populaires, USFP).[5]
Early life and education
Born in Tangier,[6] Youssoufi was a socialist from a young age,[6] dedicating himself to organizing the working class of Casablanca as early as 1944.[6] In 1949 Youssoufi began also to fight for the rights of immigrant Moroccan workers in France.[6] He also studied law, practicing in Tangier from 1952 to 1960.[7]
The Youssoufi family were of Berbers origin, and the future prime minister spoke only Tamazight and French until he began school, where he learned standard Arabic and Darija (Moroccan Arabic).[8]
Youssoufi evolves within the Army of Liberation in the company of its formidable leader Fqih Basri.[9] Through Mehdi Ben Barka, Youssoufi joined a group of passionate young men who shared a vision: An independent Morocco. Youssoufi became a member of the Al Istiqlal (Independence) Party and, at only 19 years old, threw himself into the fight for a free Morocco.[10] He was nicknamed Lenin by the Moroccan police for his excessive Nationalism.[11] He was arrested Twice, once imprisoned for his political dissidence, he was one of the most important figures in Morocco’s political scene.[12] his participation in the creation of the Arab Organization for Human Rights
Political career
In 1959, Youssoufi was one of the founders of the National Union of Popular Forces, a left-wing political party.[13] He was arrested for his involvement in 1959 and again in 1963,[6] the latter arrest leading to a prison sentence of two years.[7] Following his release, Youssoufi went into self-imposed exile in Paris for a period of fifteen years.[7] Later he returned to Morocco.[14] Meanwhile, the National Union of Popular Forces became the Socialist Union of Popular Forces and Abderrahmane Youssoufi was appointed its permanent delegate outside the country, and later, in 1978, a member of its political bureau.[15] In 1980 Youssoufi returned to join the new party,[16] becoming the party secretary in 1992 after the death of Abderrahim Bouabid.[1]
In 1983, he co-founded the Arab Organization for Human Rights along with Egyptian sociologist Saad Eddin Ibrahim and French-Syrian sociologist Burhan Ghalioun.[17][18]
Prime Minister
On 4 February 1998, following the victory of Youssoufi's party in the 1997 Moroccan general election, King Hassan II named Youssoufi the Prime Minister of Morocco.[19][20] Youssoufi formed a left-center government which would provide greater freedoms for the people and media.[21][1] In 2002, the USFP was re-elected to a majority in the general election that year, although King Mohammed VI appointed a technocrat, Driss Jettou, to succeed Youssoufi as Prime Minister. On 28 October 2003, Abderrahmane Youssoufi resigned from his post as First Secretary of the USFP.[22]
Later life
In February 2005, Youssoufi announced his retirement from politics.[13] He began to live in Casablanca after his retirement.[1] On 15 October 2016, Youssoufi was hospitalized for pneumonia and King Mohammed VI visited him in the hospital.[23][24] He had no children.[25]
Death
Youssoufi died on 29 May 2020, at the age of 96 due to lung cancer.[26][27] His funeral took place Friday at the “Chouhada” (martyrs) cemetery in Casablanca in the presence of a small number of relatives due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[28]
Awards
National honours
In 1991, Youssoufi was one of the two winners of the North-South Prize.[30] In 2016, King Mohammed VI of Morocco honored Youssoufi by naming an avenue in Tangier after him.[31][32]
