Algerian min. defects from Islamist movement, founds new party
Date: 15/07/2012      Time: 11:50:00 PM
 
Algerian Minister of Public Works Ammar Ghol on Sunday defected from the Islamic-leaning Movement for the Society of Peace (MSP) and founded a new political party. "During recent discussions many people found the idea of forming a new party so appealing; this is why we decided to go ahead with our plan to create more space for hope and the national project," Ghol said in a press release. He invited people from the opposite ends of the political spectrum to raise suggestions on the ideology, the principles and the name of the new party. Ghol won a parliamentary seat through the list of MSP-led Green Algeria Alliance in the elections of May 10, 2012. Recent press reports showed that he was at odds with MSP leader Bouguerra Soltani who decided to revoke the alliance with the other coalition partners, namely the Islamic Renaissance Movement (Ennahda) and the Movement for National Reform (Islah). Formerly known as Hamas, the center-right MSP was founded by Mahfoud Nahnah in 1990 as the local branch of the international Muslim Brotherhood group before being renamed in 2003.