Algerian blocs have been swept by reformist rebellions Algiers – Hocine Bousalah Secretary-General of the National Rally for Democracy [RND] Ahmed Ouyahia refused to return to the RND leadership in a meeting with supporters at party headquarters in Ben Akoun on Sunday, after announcing his resignation on January 3.
Ouyahia called on backers to enter dialogue with opponents at the party's headquarters in Algiers, recommending the formation of a “committee of wise men” to preside over National Council sessions between January 17-19. “My resignation serves the party in the current circumstances,” a source present at the meeting quoted Ouyahia as saying. It was important the RND, Algeria’s second most influential political bloc, did not collapse, the Secretary-General added.
RND reformists, who originally called for Ouyahia’s resignation have meanwhile stepped down their rhetoric, welcoming the former leader’s "timely" exit.
Former Youth and Sports Minister Yahia Guiddoum initially seemed most likely to run for the the Secretary-General post, while Ouyahia loyalists remained undecided, especially given he did not tip a successor.
Meanwhile National Liberation Front [FLN] Secretary-General Abdelaziz Belkhadem held a meeting with the party’s political bureau, in the absence of seven members, including four ministers.
FLN sources confirmed to Arabstoday that Belkhadem had refused to discuss a potential resignation before the Central Committee session scheduled for January 31.
From the absent members, four ministers submitted a letter calling on Belkhadem to stand down from the FLN leadership.
Belkhadem denounced the request, postponing discussion of the issue until the party’s Central Committee convenes at the end of the month. Ministers "did not choose their timing well, thinking that Ouyahia’s resignation would entail mine,” Belkhadem claimed. “They must be dreaming.”