El Othmani stressed that a successful transition out of lockdown and revival of Morocco’s economy will require cooperative efforts from civil society, all political parties, and trade unions.
Rabat – Morocco’s Head of Government, Saad Eddine El Othmani collaborated with the leaders of those political parties not represented at Parliament during a video conference on Friday, May 29, regarding the country’s recovery strategy after lockdown, according to a statement from his department.
El Othmani stressed that all stakeholders must mobilize and deepen the debate on how to ease lockdown measures in Morocco and mitigate the economic and social repercussions of the novel coronavirus crisis.
The meeting was part of the consultative initiative launched by El Othmani with all political, trade union, and associative forces to manage the post-lockdown period, said the statement. The head of government told those in attendance that in light of a pandemic with global consequences, Morocco must manage the transition with care and “take the necessary strategic choices.”
El Othmani also stressed that government priorities in Morocco’s pandemic response currently relate to education, health, social protection, and employment, as well as to accelerating the country’s digital transformation.
The official said the government is preparing an “ambitious” plan to boost national economic recovery as it approaches the lift of its lockdown, according to the same source. It is also amending a finance bill for 2020 with major and structural reforms aimed at relaunching the economy and “saving what can be saved,” he added, saying that officials will present the amendment in “a few weeks.”
El Othmani ruled out any austerity plan, assuring that the government is working to support domestic production and consumption of Moroccan products.
Read also: El Othmani Calls on Moroccans to Learn to Live With COVID-19 for a Year
The head of government also highlighted the improvement of the productivity of some sectors during the pandemic, including agriculture, the food industry, and some industries dedicated to the health sector. The latter “took up the challenge” and transformed their activities to address the epidemic through the production of medical equipment such as masks and hand sanitizers, he said.
El Othmani held on Wednesday, May 27 a similar video conference with the leaders of the political parties that are represented at Parliament. He stressed after the meeting that the success of Morocco’s “post-June 10 phase” will require the combined efforts of all national actors, including political parties, trade unions, and civil society.
Morocco managed “to avoid the worst” and will be able to overcome the next stage of the COVID-19 pandemic as it emerges from lockdown, “as it did in the previous one,” he emphasized.
The country’s lockdown is scheduled to end June 10 after the state extended it for a second time on May 18.
