Rabat – The Head of Government Saad Eddine El Othmani said October 8 on Twitter that he is “ready to resign from the presidency of the National Council of the [Justice and Development Party (PJD)] and the presidency of the government if this serves the interests of the party and its unity.”
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— EL OTMANI Saaddine (@Elotmanisaad) October 8, 2017
The tweet comes in the context of the current struggle within the PJD. Last month, the leader of the PJD’s parliamentary group, Driss El Azami El Idrissi, has expressed concerns to Othmani over commitments he made on behalf of the party.
“If the PJD’s commitment in the majority government implies that its deputies vote with the majority, it does not oblige them to support the positions of the government,” he told Al Ahdath Al Maghribia in its September 14 edition.
“Talking about a perfect cohesion within the governmental majority is exaggerated. People should not be fooled,” added El Idrissi.
El Othmani’s tweet was also a response to the recent partial legislative elections where the party suffered a bitter failure.
Three deputy seats formerly invalidated by the Constitutional Court came into play on Thursday, October 5. Two seats were won by the National Rally of Independents (RNI) and one by the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM).
PJD’s defeat has been attributed by some to its direction in the government, others to dissent by party leader Abdelilah Benkirane, and further others to the party’s inability to organize its communal management.
During the plenary session of the Lamp Party Congress in Meknes, El Othmani affirmed that “the Justice and Development Party has suffered injustices and hostile resistance to reforms. But we remain faithful to our principles and values.”
He also said that the PJD seeks to preserve its unity but also to work effectively within the realities of the country.
