Hadj Mohamed Benalla

Hadj Mohamed Benalla was an Algerian politician who served as the second President of the National Constituent Assembly and the first and only President of the National Assembly, the ANC's successor.

Biography Benalla was born on February 24, 1923, in Ouadane, Oran Province, Algeria, into a very modest family. He completed his primary studies in Tiaret. He began working at 14, first in a pastry factory, then as a courier, then a mechanic, and finally as a clerk. During World War II, he joined the French Army as a non-commissioned officer after Operation Torch. When the OS was dissolved in 1950, Benalla was imprisoned for three years. Benalla was arrested on November 16, 1956, and imprisoned in France. He was tried by a military court in Oran, and sentenced to death. After the legislative elections of 1964, Benalla was elected president of the National Assembly, the successor organization to the National Constituent Assembly. Benalla opposed the 1965 Algerian coup d'état, and was imprisoned and tortured by the Military Security. Benalla was placed under house arrest in Biskra until 1978.

Benalla died on May 2, 2009, at the Ain Naadja Military Hospital from respiratory problems. He is buried in the El Alia Cemetery.