Rabat – Moroccan political parties such as the Party for Authenticity and Modernity (PAM) and Party for Progress and Socialism (PPS) have called for government action against the current high cost of living crisis in the country.
PAM’s political office has called for an “urgent” meeting between the parties in the government’s majority coalition to deal with the economic issues facing the country.
The party announced on their website that their political office called for a meeting with all the leaders of the government’s majority coalition to discuss the economic situation and its repercussions on Moroccan society.
The office, headed by party Secretary-General Abdellatif Ouahbi, said the call comes in view of “the economic and social pressures that our country is facing and that have reflected in a big way on prices.”
Additionally, the political office of the PPS addressed an open letter to Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch, clarifying their own concerns about the cost of living crisis.
The open letter called the government’s approach to the crisis “careless and irresponsible,” noting that the price hikes on food products has led to anger among Morocco’s population.
The letter also noted the “disappointment” of Moroccans towards the government’s reassurances which the party said are contradicted by the reality of struggling Moroccan households and official reports from independent institutions.
The letter called for “urgent and effective” action from the government, that “cannot rely on only monetary reforms that have shown their limits.”
The party suggested tighter controls of Moroccan markets to prevent price gouging and hand down severe punishments to violators, as well as more subsidies to citizens and professionals in affected sectors.
The topic of high food and fuel prices in Morocco is one that has been simmering for a few weeks, since the weeks leading up to the holy month of Ramadan.
Despite assurances from the government that prices would be brought down before the start of Ramadan, citizens have noted that prices have kept increasing, with red meat for example reaching MAD 100 per kilogram in some cases.
The inflation in prices has been exacerbated by geopolitical disruptions like the Ukraine war and a severe drought last year that saw Morocco’s agricultural output decrease significantly.
The price increases were not limited to food supplies, as fuel and medicines have also been cited by citizens as being more expensive.
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