Belkhadem may stand for president in next year’s elections Algeria's ruling National Liberation Front [FLN] kicked off its annual national conference on Thursday, which is expected to see a long-awaited tussle for power between party chief Abdelaziz Belkhadem and reformist elements within the party.
Swathes of FLN members are now gunning to elect a new party Secterary-General.
Reformist elements previously called on Belkhadem to resign, but the leader refused to accept terms, leaving the issue up to a secret ballot by members of the party’s Central Committee. The vote is now expected to take place during the conference.
Former minister and a reformist, Hadi Khaldi, expressed confidence that over 220 of the Committee's 350 members will vote against Belkhadem. "That would mean we will set up an interim bureau to run the party until the election of a new Secretary-General," Khaldi told reporters.
However, other party sources warned that Belkhadem loyalists had intensified their efforts to ensure the veteran leader survived the vote.
Speaker of Algeria’s parliament, Ammar Saidani, suggested Abdelrazaq Bouhara become interim leader until a replacement is found for Belkhadem. “He is one of the figures who would gain the trust of all the conflicting camps within the FLN,” Saidani said.
Secretary-General Belkhadem previously revealed that he would run in the next parliamentary election -- slated for 2014-- if President Abdelaziz Bouteflika decided to quit.     
As well as leadership elections, the FLN, which has ruled Algeria since 1963, will engage in discussions over recent electoral showings at parliamentary and local elections, Algeria’s constitution as well as the party’s 2013 budget.