The League took Keren as its headquarters till parties were shut down by Ethiopian interference in the late 1950s. Ali, who was a key figure in the establishment of Blocco Indipendenza (Independence Bloc) on July 26, 1949, was elected the secretary general of the organization.
In January 1951, he partook in the establishment of the Eritrean Democratic Front (EDF) and became its secretary general. He was a member of the first Eritrean Parliament when he won election on May 15, 1952, representing the Rugbat tribe of which he was the traditional chief from 1948 to 1950.