The National Construction Movement has decided to suspend its membership in the “Coalition for Algeria,” which includes four parties: the National Liberation Front, the National Democratic Rally, the Future Front, and the National Construction Movement.
According to information obtained by “Sabeq Press,” representatives of the National Construction Movement who attended a coalition meeting at the Future Front headquarters in Algiers today informed the coalition of their decision to suspend their membership and boycott coalition activities.
A party source indicated that the representatives from the National Construction Movement did not clearly explain the reasons for their suspension, nor did they confirm a final withdrawal from the alliance. This decision will be discussed in a future meeting of the leaders of the three remaining parties.
It appears that the FLN, RND, and the Future Front parties have decided to move forward despite the National Construction Movement’s actions, by scheduling a press conference on Tuesday to announce a major event, a work calendar, and possibly decisions related to the presidential elections.
Meanwhile, the National Construction Movement has scheduled a meeting at the same time with several parties that support the movement’s leader Abdelkader Bengrina’s call for President Abdelmadjid Tebboune to run for a second term. This indicates that Bengrina is determined to lead a “Second Term Alliance,” even if it means forming a new coalition outside the majority presidential parties.
Before the suspension, public conflicts had emerged between Bengrina and the Secretary-General of the FLN, Abdelkrim Ben Marak, over what the latter perceived as Bengrina’s unilateral decision to nominate President Tebboune for a second term just one day after the coalition was formed, without consulting the other parties.
Ben Marak emphasized on two consecutive occasions that the FLN, with the largest number of elected officials, would lead the presidential race and would not follow the plans of others.
In response, Bengrina denied in a public rally organized by his political formation in Oran on Saturday any agreement with the other coalition parties on a unified announcement to nominate President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. He implicitly replied to Ben Marak’s statements, saying, “We are people of promises and we do not break promises.”
Meanwhile, the political scene is gearing up for the summoning of the electoral authority on June 8, marking the opening of the presidential candidacy and the collection of nomination forms from the National Independent Election Authority. All eyes will be on President Tebboune’s decision regarding his candidacy for the presidential election scheduled for September 7.
Cracks in the Quadruple Alliance
