Socialist Forces Front

The Socialist Forces Front (Berber: Tirni Iɣallen Inemlayen (RƔN); French: Front des Forces socialistes (FFS); Arabic: جبهة القوى الاشتراكية‎) is a social democratic and secularist political party, mainly supported by Berbers and kabyles in Algeria. The FFS is a member of the Socialist International and the Progressive Alliance.

Socialist Forces Front

French: Front des Forces socialistes (FFS)
Arabic: جبهة القوى الاشتراكية‎
Berber: Tirni Iɣallen Inemlayen (RƔN)
SecretaryHakim Belahcel
PresidentAli Laskri
Founded29 September 1963 (1963-09-29)
Split fromNational Liberation Front
HeadquartersAlgiers, Algeria
IdeologySocial democracy
Algerianism
Berberism
Secularism
Political positionCentre-left
National affiliationForces of the Democratic Alternative
International affiliationProgressive Alliance
Socialist International
Colours     Azure
Council of the Nation
4 / 144
People's National Assembly
14 / 462
People's Provincial Assemblies
63 / 2,004
Municipalities
64 / 1,540
People's Municipal Assemblies
897 / 24,786
Website
www.ffs.dz

History and profile

The party was formed by Hocine Ait Ahmed on 29 September 1963[1][2] in the city of Tizi-Ouzou to oppose Ben Bella's government. Following the party's creation, a number of towns in Kabylia gave them their support. The Ben Bella government, aided by the Armée de Libération nationale, swiftly took control of the dissident towns during a mostly bloodless confrontation. Preferring to avoid direct conflict, the FFS and its soldiers retracted into the mountains from where they could launch guerrilla tactics.

The party was legalised in 1990.[1] It however boycotted the 2002 and 2007 legislative elections and the 2009 presidential election "calling it systematic electoral fraud in favour of the ruling parties".[3]

2012 legislative election

Though former Prime Minister Sid Ahmed Ghozali urged a boycott on the grounds that the election would be "a foregone conclusion",[4] the party decided to participate in the 2012 legislative election. Apart from international monitors being invited to observe the process, Algerian Workers' Party leader Louisa Hanoune, a quite successful candidate to the 2009 presidential elections, had announced to work towards an alliance of the two parties.[5]

Hocine Aït Ahmed wrote to the Council of the Nation saying that "participation in these elections is a tactical necessity for the FFS, which falls in line with (its) construction strategy of peaceful democratic alternative to this despotic regime, corrupt and destructive. [The purpose of the party] does not lie in a quota of seats to reach [but] in mobilising political[ly] and peaceful[ly] in our party and our people."[3] With an electoral result of mere 2.47%, the party reached 27 seats making it the second-largest opposition power after the Islamist Green Algeria Alliance.

See also

References
  1. Augustus Richard Norton (2001). Civil society in the Middle East. 2 (2001). BRILL. p. 83. ISBN 90-04-10469-0. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  2. "Leftist Parties of Algeria". Broad Left. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  3. "Algérie : le FFS ira aux législatives". Le Figaro. Retrieved on 10 May 2012.
  4. Le FFS ira aux élections : « le boycott du prochain scrutin ne constitue pas un meilleur choix que la participation » Archived 24 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Siwel.info. Retrieved on 10 May 2012.
  5. L'Expression – Le Quotidien – Louisa Hanoune candidate à Alger. Lexpressiondz.com. Retrieved on 10 May 2012.
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