Rabat – On the eve of the election of the Istiqlal Party’s (PI) secretary-general, scheduled for this Saturday, October 7 in Rabat, Nizar Baraka and Hamid Chabat, the two contenders running for the post, each published a video defending their visions and laying out their solutions to get the party out of its crisis.
The evening of Friday, October 6, Baraka addressed a short video to the 1,283 voting members of the National Council of the Istiqlal Party.
In simple words, matching his campaign thus far, Baraka stated that “the future of PI is in our hands, and we can straighten out the party.”
For the politician, there are two options: “you maintain the current secretary general [Chabat] and in this case you know what awaits you, or you can opt for change.”
In a sober tone, Baraka stood in front of an austere background, calling for the triumph of internal democracy within the party.
“Today, the unity and cohesion of the party are more than ever at stake. If you want to get the Istiqlal Party out of this crisis and regain credibility with citizens, make the right choice.”
“Saturday will be a decisive day for the PI, considering that it is going through a deep political and organizational crisis,” Baraka continued. “This crisis is very dangerous for the party, because it threatens its existence and cohesion.”
Baraka said that the PI will experience a test in its history on Saturday.
“Either it will emerge from its crisis or leave it without a compass,” he said. Referring to what the party reached under the leadership of Chabat and his followers, Baraka added, “Today, we’ll either continue on Chabat’s steps, which you know where they led us, or say enough and open a new page.”
Meanwhile, Chabat also broadcasted a 7-minute video on October 4, in which he attacked Baraka, calling him “a former head of department in the Ministry of Finance who was parachuted minister and then president of the EESC.”
He then compared Baraka’s journey to that of Hamid Chabat (referring to himself as usual in the third person), “who has been a militant since his youngest age and is a activist of proximity, as His Majesty the King said.”
