Ben Ali, Zine el-Abidine, 1936-, president of Tunisia (1987-). Educated in France and the United States, he entered the army and became minister of national security (1984-86) and interior minister (1986-87). In Oct., 1987, he became prime minister under the aging Tunisian president Habib Bourguiba, whom he deposed in a bloodless coup on Nov. 8, 1987. Ben Ali was elected president in 1989 and reelected in 1994, 1999, and 2004, but the elections have been marked by a lack of real opposition and government intimidation. He had a moderating influence on the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO leaders lived in Tunisia for 10 years) and has been a supporter of attempts at reaching peace with Israel. Domestically, he has continued to develop a relatively secular, Westernized, and increasingly middle-class nation.