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Casablanca — A dispute over government accountability has emerged in Morocco after Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch said the previous administration failed to present its record, citing a lack of cohesion within the majority.
Former prime minister Saad Dine El Othmani pushed back, challenging both the claim and what he framed as a broader attempt to redefine how government performance should be judged.
El Othmani questioned whether a government record is meant to reflect the work of the cabinet or serve as what he described as a “political document for the ruling majority.”
Citing Article 101 of the constitution, El Othmani said the text clearly refers to government performance, noting that the head of government is required to present an interim record of government work to parliament. “It does not mention the majority,” he said.
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He added that the record presented in 2021 was the result of collective work across all government departments. Drafts were circulated among ministries, comments were incorporated, and the final version reflected what he described as “a joint effort.” Bringing the majority into the discussion, he argued, “blurs” the issue.
On the question of cohesion, El Othmani acknowledged that differences existed within the coalition he led, but questioned who should bear responsibility, noting that the current head of government was part of that period. He maintained that these tensions did not affect the functioning of the government.
He also pointed to timing. Government records, he said, are typically presented at the end of a mandate, during the final legislative year. “Isn’t presenting it far from the end of the term an early attempt to avoid responsibility and accountability?” he questioned.
Defending his administration’s performance, El Othmani said the 2021 record was positively received by national and international institutions and generated broad public debate. Despite the global health crisis, referring to Covind-19, “purchasing power remained stable and inflation stayed below 1%,” he said.
By contrast, he pointed to inflation reaching around 7% in 2023 under the current government. He also highlighted a growth rate of 5.8% at the end of 2021, describing it as one of the highest regionally and continentally at the time, adding that similar results have not been achieved since “despite greater available resources.”
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