Abderrahmane Youssoufi


Abderrahmane Youssoufi was a Moroccan politician who served as the Prime Minister of Morocco from 1998 to 2002. He was a human rights lawyer.

Early life and education

Born in Tangier, Youssoufi was a socialist from a young age, dedicating himself to organizing the working class of Casablanca as early as 1944. In 1949 Youssoufi began also to fight for the rights of emigrant Moroccan workers in France. He also studied law, practicing in Tangier from 1952 to 1960.

Political career

In 1959, Youssoufi was one of the founders of the National Union of Popular Forces, a left-wing political party. He was arrested for his involvement in 1959 and again in 1963, the latter arrest leading to a prison sentence of two years. Following his release, Youssoufi went into self-imposed exile in Paris for a period of fifteen years. Later he returned to Morocco. Meanwhile, the National Union of Popular Forces became the Socialist Union of Popular Forces. In 1980 Youssoufi returned to join the new party, becoming the party secretary in 1992 after the death of Abderrahim Bouabid.

Prime Minister

On 4 February 1998 King Hassan II named Youssoufi the Prime Minister of Morocco, a post he held until October 2002. He formed a left-center government. His government provided greater freedoms for the people and media.

Later life

In October 2003, Youssoufi announced his retirement from politics. He began to live in Casablanca after his retirement. On 15 October 2016, Youssoufi was hospitalized for pneumonia and King Mohammed VI visited him in the hospital. Youssoufi died on 29 May 2020, at the age of 96 due to lung cancer.

Awards

In 1999, Youssoufi was one of the two winners of the North-South Prize. In 2016, King Mohammed VI of Morocco honored Youssoufi by naming an avenue in Tangier after him.