On September 15, 1963, Ahmed Ben Bella became the first president of independent Algeria. The only candidate, he was elected with more than 99% of the votes. Two years later, in 1965, he was overthrown by a military coup organized by Houari Boumédiène, his Minister of Defense. Cloistered for twelve years, it was not until 1978 that he was placed under house arrest in Msila, then released by President Chadli Ben-Djedid. On April 11, 2012, he died at the age of 96. For Omar Carlier, professor of history at the University of Paris VII, Ben Bella was a utopian, but an unapologetic utopian.
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September 15, 1963: Ahmed Ben Bella becomes the first president of Algeria
