Al Ibrahimi: “FIS Party agreed to forsake parliamentary seats to FLN and proposed Aït Ahmed as Prime Minister”
The former Algerian foreign affairs and information Minister, Ahmed Taleb Al Ibrahimi, revealed that the leadership of the now dissolved Islamist FIS party was intent on forging a political compromise deal with the then ruling FLN party with a view to sparing the country the upheavals of violent armed unrest at the start of the 90’s.
Speaking in an interview with the Al Djazairia TV channel, Mr Ahmed Taleb Al Ibrahimi said that the FIS party leadership, fearing an untoward turn in events in the wake of the party’s massive first-round election victory in 1991, then expressed the will to relinquish the other parliamentary seats up for grabs to the FLN party in the second round of voting.
Mr Al Ibrahimi indicated that under such a compromise deal, the FIS party leadership also proposed the nomination of FFS party leader Hocine Ait Ahmed as Prime Minister.
The FIS Party also proposed to be assigned only three ministerial portfolios in the next governmental team including those of justice, education and social affairs, he added.
Mr Ahmed Taleb Al Ibrahimi also revealed that one of the FIS party leader, late Abdelkader Hachani, had paid him a visit at home on January 4th 1992, during which he duly informed him of the FIS party’s proposals and asked him to convey them to the then President of the Republic late Chadli Bendjedid.
The former foreign and information Minister asserted that Abdelkader Hachani had told him expressively that the FIS party would stick to the 188 seats garnered in the first round of voting and was ready to give up the remaining seats at stake to the FLN party during the second round of the 1991 legislative elections.
Mr Ahmed Taleb Al Ibrahimi further underlined that such proposals finally hung fire as just 4 days after his encounter with Abdelkader Hachani, President Chadli Bendjedid was forced to step down from power owing to his awkwardness and lack of clout in dealing efficiently with the sizzling political logjam at that time.