Chadli was behind reforms in Algeria, says his wife

The wife of Algeria’s former President Chadli Ben Djedid said a number of persons tried to adopt the State head’s decisions at that time after the October 1988 events.

“It is true that Chadli was a military man but he had exercised politics since he became President. He had run the country for 13 years and saved people from difficult phases,” Halima Ben Djedid told Echorouk.

“It is not Algeria’s former head of government Mouloud Hamrouche who was behind the reforms. They were planned and supervised by Chadli,” she added.

“Chadli was a great man. I had lived with him for 48 years. He loved his country,” she said.

She denied allegations that he had bad relations with former President Houari Boumediene. “The relation between Chadli and President Houari Boumediene was strong. Chadli faced Taher Zbiri and his group’s attempt to topple the president in 1967.”