By Hassan al-Ashraf and Adel al-Zubairi
By Hassan al-Ashraf and Adel al-Zubairi
Rabat, September 24, 2012
Morocco’s oldest political party, the Istiqlal (independence) party, was long led or dominated by members of one notable family: the al-Fasi family, to which former prime minister Abbas al-Fasi belongs.
That domination, as many Moroccans like to say, came to an end on Saturday night when Hamid Chabat, the deputy mayor of Fez who came from a middle-class family and once worked as a mechanic, was elected as the new party leader.
Chabat won 478 votes, narrowly beat rival Abdelouahed al-Fassi, a former health minister and son of Allal al-Fassi, the founder and ideologue of the party.
For many observers, it was first time the Istiqlal party was able to democratically elect its secretary general, a step seen by many as a direct impact of the Arab Spring.
Previously, the person who occupied the position of secretary general was simply chosen by close-knit group of members. And for that reason, many say, the party was always headed by someone from the powerful al-Fasi family.
Chabat, the popular deputy mayor of Fez, used to work as a mechanic and is still referred to as such. He is also referred to as Lech Wa??sa, after the president of Poland who was as electrician had no higher education.
Chabat’s social background was the opposite of his rival who belongs to the wealthy and politically powerful Fezi family, whose members occupy the highest jobs in the country.
Chabat is known for taking pride in his career path.
“I started my life with humble jobs and this made me close to the people and later lent me the support of a sizable portion of Moroccans,” he told Al Arabiya a few hours before his triumph was announced.
He said he climbed the social ladder with hard work to become the mayor of Fez, the kingdom’s “scientific” capital, and the leader of one of the country biggest labor unions.
As the first party leader who does not come from the Fezi family, Chabat compared his victory in the party elections to the day Libyan revolutionaries entered Bab al-Azizia, Qaddafi’s bastion, to end the dictatorship.
“It is time the hegemony of the Fezi family, which had lasted for a very long time, comes to end,” he said.
Chabat’s rival, al-Fassi, was supported by his relatives and several former and current senior officials.
Al-Fassi who is a former minister of health, described Chabat as “aggressive,” “impolite,” and “moody.” He also stated that leading the party is a huge responsibility, alluding to Chabat’s inability to be up to the new position.
Source: Al Arabiya
