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Rabat – On Sunday, Secretary General of the Party for Authenticity and Modernity (PAM) Ilyas al-Omari rejected the possibility of an alliance with the Party of Justice and Development (PJD). Although he acknowledged that the two parties are able to coordinate on a local level, Omari cited deep ideological differences as a barrier to a formal alliance between the two groups on a legislative level.
In an appearance on the network 2M, Omari questioned: “How can we legislate with [the PJD], a political actor that believes that the woman is a chandelier or who believes that politics can be done in the mosques?”
Since the PAM’s founding in 2008, the center-right party has consistently clashed with the PJD. PAM was founded to support King Mohamed VI’s reforms and counter the moderate Islamist PJD. Hassan Benaddi, former Secretary General of PAM, told citizens that his party offered a path to “a Democratic Morocco anchored in modernity”, framing the Islamist PJD as a reactionary, retrograde party wishing to “return to the golden age of the caliphate.” However, the PAM has received criticism for its close ties to the monarchy.
Although PJD won the 2011 elections and control the national government, PAM won the most votes in local election in 2015.
El-Omari has a long history of disagreement with the PJD and Head of Government Abdelilah Benkirane, in particular.
