Belhadj comments on opposition, the “people” and the “street”

Ali Belhadj, the former deputy leader of the banned Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) had some interesting comments for the media on the subject of opposition to the government.

He confirmed that he had been approached by influential personalities in the regime but had rejected their offers. He also confirmed that the FIS is not part of the Coalition for Freedoms and Democratic Transition (CLTD) which only includes accredited political parties while the FIS is banned.
More interestingly, however, Belhadj put his finger on strengthening pulse of Algeria when he classified opposition parties into three categories: the accredited political parties; the unaccredited prosecuted parties such as the FIS; and an ignored party – “the people”. “The ignored party,” he said, “represents most of the Algerian people who boycotted the presidential elections and who have no trust in the executive.”

He went on to say that he believes that people who cannot find a political way to claim their rights will take to the street to get them. 
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