Benkirane Calls Recent PJD Shakeup an “Earthquake”

Rabat – Abdelilah Benkirane, former Head of Government and Secretary General of the Justice and Development (PJD), has spoken up about his party’s recent developments, saying, “What’s happened to the PJD as a political party is a massive earthquake.”

At a party meeting Benkirane told PJD members of parliament, “The time to understand what happened has not yet come,” emphasized that the party still does not know “who paved the way for [the earthquake] and how it happened, and its consequences.”

Benkirane, who was dismissed by King Mohammed VI last month for his failure to form a coalition and replaced by his colleague Saad Eddine Othmani, added that “all members of the PJD are responsible for any mistake made by me or Saad Eddine Othmani.”

The former government head stressed the need for unity within the party.

“We are a responsible political party,” he said. “We cannot absolutely play the role of the opposition. We are committed with our leaders and party.”

Benkirane went on to add that party members should help Othmani’s government, the second coalition led by the PJD, in order to avoid any “immense stumbles” and he warned his partisan colleagues to be “vigilant.”

Benkirane further noted that “the PJD has given hope to the Moroccan citizens,” calling on party MPs to take into account the interest of the people.

Following his appointment as Head of Government succeeding his partisan colleague Abdelilah Benkirne, Othmani brought together a coalition government of six parties in a duration of nine days.

In addition to the PJD, the coalition includes the National Rally of Independents (RNI), the Popular Movement (MP), the Constitutional Union (UC), the Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS) and the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP).

The USFP, led by Idriss Lachgar, had previously been ruled out by Benkirane, who publically vowed that he would not include the USFP among the parties that will lead the government over the next five years.

The inclusion of the USFP has caused an uproar among disagreeing PJD members, who took to social media to attack one another.