Abdelaziz Bouteflika is the fifth President of Algeria. After Algeria became independent, he joined the then President, Ahmed Ben Bella’s cabinet as Minister for Youth and Sport, and was subsequently appointed as Minister for Foreign Affairs. He did not fall out of favor when Bella was replaced in a military coup by Houari Boumédienne. Accused of corruption charges, he went into a long self-imposed exile. The charges against him were dropped, and he returned to Algeria. He won three consecutive presidential elections. He tried genuinely to resolve the civil war raging in the country, but the Islamic fundamentalist group GSPC remains recalcitrant. He also tried to address development issues with his five year plans. They were aimed at creating new jobs, and also putting the necessary infrastructure at place. Regarding his foreign policy, he ended Algeria’s isolation. While he tried to improve Algeria’s relations with the Western powers, he was assertive on matters that were crucial to his country’s defense interests. After becoming the president for a third straight term, he brought amendments which allowed presidents to stand in elections any number of times.