Movement for the Triumph of Democratic Liberties

The Movement for the Triumph of Democratic Liberties (MTLD), name proposed by Maiza, was created October 1946 to replace the outlawed Parti du Peuple Algerien (PPA).Messali Hadj remained as President.

The MTLD was created on the same platform as that of the PPA , that is full independence for Algeria. A month after its creation it won five seats (out of 15 elected) in the November elections, despite numerous irregularities. During that same election Ferhat Abbas was elected under the banner of the Union Democratique du Manifeste Algerien (UDMA), a party he formed the same year. In the 1948 elections, the MTLD lost all seats, and in 1950, it was repressed by the police. A power struggle erupted between Messali Hadj and the Central Committee, the legislative body of the Party. The first attempt at reconciliation took place in Algiers in March 1952. Messalists and Centralists with Special Organization (OS) members as observers, could not reach a compromise. A second attempt at rallying Messali was made in 1953 by a "Committe of Neutralists" headed by Belkacem Radjef with a famous "appel a la raison' (appeal to reason). That also failed and Messali was permanently isolated from all future decisions made the MTLD in the persons of its Centralists, Neutralists and OS members. They all converged to create the National Liberation Front (FLN) after triggering the War of Independence November 1954.