Morocco’s Former Head of Government Saad Eddine El Otmani sharply reprimanded the current government head Aziz Akhannouch.
In a Facebook post, El Otmani accused Akhannouch of spreading “several incorrect pieces of information” in a Wednesday interview discussing the management of previous governments.
In a strongly-worded statement released following Akhannouch’s interview with Morocco’s 2 national television channels, 2M and Al Oula, El Otmani expressed his lack of surprise at Akhannouch’s statements. He described them as unfounded accusations against the two previous governments led by his Justice and Development Party (PJD).
“Frankly, this did not surprise me, because Mr. Aziz Akhannouch, since taking on the role of head of government, has been making baseless accusations against the two previous governments that the Justice and Development Party was honored to lead,” El Otmani said.
He further noted the irony of the current head of government’s previous ministerial role.
El Otmani’s three-forked criticism strategy
El Otmani outlined what he considers a consistent pattern in Akhannouch’s public statements, describing them as a denial, appropriation, or evasion.
He accused the current head of the government of deliberately ignoring the achievements of previous governments, claiming credit for their accomplishments, or refusing to credit reforms established by the previous government.
“The head of the government’s rare public appearances hardly ever lack one of three things: denial, monopolization, or turning away,” El Otmani wrote.
The former head of the government referred to direct support programs and universal social protection as examples of initiatives that his government helped establish. He claimed that the current government attempts to claim full credit.
Electoral oversight dispute
In most of his response, El Otmani defended the political oversight role of the head of government in electoral processes, a practice he said has been standard since Morocco’s 2011 renewed constitution.
He detailed how both he and his predecessor, Abdelilah Benkirane, had successfully chaired consultative meetings with the secretaries-general of political parties to prepare for elections in 2016 and 2021, respectively.
“Since the 2011 constitution, the Prime Minister has been the one who opens consultations and chairs meetings with the secretary-generals of political parties for the purpose of preparing the electoral system,” El Otmani explained, adding that this role doesn’t conflict with the Interior Ministry’s responsibilities.
However, El Otmani agreed with one aspect of Akhannouch’s criticism, acknowledging that his political oversight had “failed” in one specific area, blocking what he called the “strange electoral quotient” based on total registered voters, which he had “personally strongly rejected” and which ultimately required parliamentary amendment.
“Perhaps success for him [Akhannouch] means that the government should adopt and pass through that electoral quotient, which distorted the electoral process in our country,” El Otmani suggested sarcastically.
Accountability questions on key issues
Regarding sensitive policy areas, including water management, universal health coverage, and the investment charter, El Otmani characterized Akhannouch’s responses as continued attempts to evade responsibility and blame previous governments for current shortcomings.
“His [Akhannouch’s] answers were nothing but a continuation of attempts to dodge his responsibilities, failure to provide responsible answers to the questions posed, as well as blaming the two previous governments, as if they had tied his hands throughout the last four years and prevented him from achieving what his government committed to in its [electoral] program and promised in his electoral campaign,” he stated.
Political context and implications
The exchange of accusations comes at a time when Morocco is preparing for its upcoming elections. It also signals the ongoing political tensions between the current ruling coalition, led by Akhannouch’s National Rally of Independents (RNI), and the opposition PJD, which governed from 2011 to 2021.
El Otmani concluded his statement by leaving the door open for further clarification, noting that “if necessary, I may return to provide more explanation and clarification on a number of those files.”
