Casablanca - Morocco’s appointed Head of Government says that Akhannouch’s requirement to eliminate the Independent Party is “not reasonable.”
Casablanca – Morocco’s appointed Head of Government says that Akhannouch’s requirement to eliminate the Independent Party is “not reasonable.”
Since he was appointed by the Moroccan Monarch on October 10th as Head of the Government and tasked with the formation a coalition government, Abdelilah Benkirane’s numerous, widely publicized attempts, have met with no success. Benkirane is the Head of the Justice and Development Party, which won the October 7th election with 125 votes.
The political scene in Morocco has become difficult and created several conditions which a number of political parties have presented to Benkirane, who is also the Secretary-General of Justice and Development Party (PJD), including the suggestion to entirely exclude a political party from the next government, an idea which he has utterly rejected.
In a meeting organized by the PJD earlier this week, Benkirane delivered a message to Moroccans informing them that Aziz Akhannouch, the newly elected Secretary-General of National Rally of Independents (RNI), revealed that his party would join the coalition government but only at the exclusion of the Independence Party (PI).
“Mr. Akhannouch came to me with the condition to exclude the Independent Party from the government. Is this reasonable? Is this possible?” said Benkirane, adding that this condition “should not have existed.”
Benkirane continued, “I am the Head of Government,” alluding to the fact that only the Head of Government has the right to include or exclude a political party from the government formation process.
The appointed Head of Government reminded Moroccans that his mission is limited to preparing a list of candidates to present to King Mohammed VI, who “then has the right, according to the constitution, to oppose the participation of individuals.” He further asserted that negotiating the participation of individuals is manageable but requiring to exclude “an entire political party is not reasonable.”
In response to the media campaign propagating that Benkirane is the one behind this political stagnation, Benkirane offered a firm denial and asked, “I wonder why intellectuals and politicians have not discussed this subject?”
