Rabat – Morocco’s appointed Head of Government, Abdelilah Bekirane told reporters Saturday that he is “the only one who sets a deadline for the announcement of the parties that will participate in the new government not Aziz Akhannouch, Secretary General of the National Rally of Independents Party (RNI).”
This statement follows a meeting Benkirane held with Akhannouch and Mohand Laenser, Popular Movement (MP) Secretary-General on Thursday.
As soon as the meeting between the party leaders ended, Akhannouch told journalists, “Laenser and I tried to persuade Benkirane to change his opinion about including the Istiqlal Pary (IP) in the government.
Benkirane now has a deadline to think about whether to exclude the IP or not.”
During the meeting, Akhannouch and Laenser both asserted that they will not join a coalition government which includes the IP’s Secretary General, Hamid Chabbat.
Following the IP’s National Council meeting, held Saturday in Rabat, Benkirane finds himself waiting for the release of the official statement from the IP before announcing his final decision on the participation of this party in the coalition government.
