Othman Kechrid ( ar, عثمان كشريد) (26 June 1920 – 23 February 2021) was a Tunisian politician.
Biography
Kechrid attended primary school in
Hajeb El Ayoun
Hajeb El Ayoun ( ar, حاجب العيون) is a town and commune in the Kairouan Governorate, Tunisia. As of 2004 it had a population of 9,648. It is also the capital of a district of 35,403 inhabitants.
The Mayor is Hassen Zaïdi, and the pos ...
and secondary school in
Sousse
Sousse or Soussa ( ar, سوسة, ; Berber:''Susa'') is a city in Tunisia, capital of the Sousse Governorate. Located south of the capital Tunis, the city has 271,428 inhabitants (2014). Sousse is in the central-east of the country, on the Gulf ...
. In 1942, he graduated from the École normale supérieure de Tunisie and became a primary school teacher. He also joined the
Neo Destour
The New Constitutional Liberal Party ( ar, الحزب الحر الدستوري الجديد, '; French: ''Nouveau Parti libéral constitutionnel''), most commonly known as Neo Destour, was a Tunisian political party founded in 1934 by a group o ...
party, which sought to gain independence from France. In 1944, he became a math and science teacher at the Cours complémentaire de Kairouan. In 1949, he began studying law. On 16 November 1953, he began working at the General Secretariat and became chief of staff to the
Minister of Finance, the first to hold the title since
Tunisian independence. On 16 January 1961, he was appointed Deputy Director of External Finances.
On 2 April 1962, Kechrid founded the , of which he was the first CEO.
Ahmed Ben Salah
Ahmed Ben Salah ( ar, أحمد بن صالح) (13 January 1926 – 16 September 2020) was a Tunisian politician and trade union leader. His power and influence peaked between 1957 and 1969 when he was able to implement his ideas for a planned ec ...
, former Secretary of State of the Economy, discussed Kechrid's departure from the office with the following statement: "Othman Kechrid, director of the Trade Office, one day came to see me to hand in his resignation because Béchir Zerglayoun had arrived in his office, asking him for favors, playing his revolver". In 1967, he became trade director and deputy general manager of the company El Bouniane. On 3 July 1973, he became Secretary General of the Ministry of the Interior, a position in which he launched a computerization program for the ministry's administration.
On 27 December 1977, Kechrid became the Minister of Relations with the
Chamber of Deputies
The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures.
Description
Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon R ...
and , appointed by
President Habib Bourguiba
Habib Bourguiba (; ar, الحبيب بورقيبة, al-Ḥabīb Būrqībah; 3 August 19036 April 2000) was a Tunisian lawyer, nationalist leader and statesman who led the country from 1956 to 1957 as the prime minister of the Kingdom of T ...
. On 8 November 1979, he became
Minister of the Interior
An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...
, serving until 1 March 1980, when he was succeeded by
Driss Guiga
Driss Guiga (born 21 October 1924) is a Tunisian lawyer and politician who was Minister of Health, Minister of Education and then Minister of the Interior for four years during the later part of the Habib Bourguiba regime.
Early years
Driss Guig ...
. On 23 October 1980, he became a technical advisor to President Bourguiba.
Aside from his political career, Kechrid founded several companies, including Ellouhoum, Ethimar, the Société des articles populaires, Société de cellulose de Kasserine, and a dozen other regional corporations. He was a member of the from 1970 to 1978.
He was a founding member of the . He was also a member of
Les Scouts Tunisiens
Les Scouts Tunisiens (in aeb, الكشافة التونسية; ''The Tunisian Scouts'') is the national Scouting organization of Tunisia. It was founded in 1934, and became a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement in 1957 and is a ...
.
Othman Kechrid died on 23 February 2021 at the age of 100.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kechrid, Othman
1920 births
2021 deaths
Tunisian politicians
Tunisian centenarians
Men centenarians