FFS: Ait Ahmed’s withdrawal causes leadership war between Aasekri and Djedai

A debate took place on Friday among two clans at Algeria’s FFS party about its leadership following the resignation of its former president Hocine Ait Ahmed, Echorouk has learnt.

The FFS’ Secretary General Ali Aaskeri was supported by Karim Baloule, Rachid Halit, Mohand Amokrane Cherif and Salima Ghezali. His suggestion to run for legislative elections was rejected by a large number of the party’s executives.

The second clan is led by the FFS’ former Secretary General Ahmed Djedai who wants to be its new leader, sources said.

Aaskeri’s suggestion was rejected by the party’s most members who were against the idea of collective leadership. “How can a group lead the party without a president?” they asked him.

Ait Ahmed announced that he quitted the party after 50 years of membership.

According to a former executive at the FFS, the party could not find a strong person who can succeed Ait Ahmed.

“Ait Ahmed was supposed to reconcile between all the FFS’ members,” he said. He added that he feels sorry for the idea of collective leadership of the party and not finding a good president. “This is humiliating for Ait Ahmed as he could not leave successors. The party’s collective leadership is a dictator concept inspired from the Soviet Union.”