Algeria: Sultani succeeds Nahnah to the presidency of the Islamic Society movement (ISM)

The third conference of the Peace Society Movement, the first conference since the death of the founder of the movement and its leader Sheikh Mahfouz Nahnah, concluded its meeting yesterday following three- day deliberations, by electing a new presidency chaired by Abu Jarra Sultani and his deputies Abdul Razza Maqarri ( the chairman of ISM bloc at the national people's council); Abdul Miguid Manaserah (a member at the national people's council and former minister as well as the official spokesman for the movement under the era of Sheikh Nahnah); Abdul Rahman Saedi ( a parliament member and Sultani's rival to the presidency of the movement).

Meantime the Shoura council elected Muhammad Maghareba as its chairman.

The competition to the presidency of the movement was by Abu Jarra Sultani, and Abdul Rahman Saedi who was nominated for the presidency of the movement. By members of the former national office especially Abdul Miguid al-Manaserah and Ahmad al-Dan.

Sultani won the presidency by a majority of 105 votes out of 200 votes, total members of the Shoura council against 95 votes for Saedi. The number of members was a center of controversy in the deliberations of the conference which ended to increasing it from 160 members to 200. This increase, however, served to have ensured al-Sultani who is supported by the movement's base against his rival who is supported by the "power centers" in the movement.

However, the third conference of the Peace society movement opened its deliberations last Tuesday. The opening ceremony was attended by the representative of the President of the Republic and leaders of most political parties or representatives for them as well as Arab delegations including The Saudi Sheikh Saad al-Zubeir, Muhammad al-Hermasi a representative of the Baath party ruling in Syria.

The conference stressed commitment to principles of the nation which are: the statement of November 1st, 1954; Islam is a reference and the Arabic and Imazegheyah language, commitment to the Republican system, giving up all forms of violence.

At the Algerian level, the conference stressed "support for pluralism, democracy, the republican system, challenging the secular project, active participation in state establishments within the principles of the movement and continued effective political dealings," according to the general political list of the movement approved by the conferees.