Calls for Parliament’s dissolution trigger bitter row between FLN and Workers’ party MP’s

The frenzied calls by MP’s belonging to the Workers’ party (PT) for the dissolution of the current parliament and for the holding of early legislative elections have brought about a bitter dispute with disgruntled parliamentarians of the FLN party who are utterly opposed to such a contingency.

The serious row has degenerated into sheer scuffles between the MP’s of the two parties under the helpless posture of the National Popular Assembly’s speaker, Mohamed Larbi Ould Khelifa who was flabbergasted by this untoward turn in events.

The premises of the Assembly were virtually turned into an arena of sheer conflict owing to the diverging views of the MP’s from the two rival parties and security agents were finally called in to clear the air and put an end to the turmoil.

This inter – parliamentarian conflict occurred on the occasion of the free-wheeling and acrimonious debate about the government’s new action plan expounded earlier this week before the deputies by Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal.

Because of the lingering hubbub and pandemonium touched off by the deep differences among rival MP’s about the government’s action plan and related issues, numerous MP’s quit the assembly premises as a sign of discontent.

The MP’s belonging to the Workers’ party led by Louiza Hanoune lashed out against the government’s plan of action and demanded the dissolution of the current legislature and for the holding of early parliamentary polls.

In a vehement reaction, the FLN party’s deputies forcefully expressed their total opposition to the Workers party’s demand, stressing that such a destabilizing move was directly targeting the FLN party itself which now commands the absolute majority of seats in parliament.