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Agadir – The bureau of the Association of Bar Associations of Morocco announced plans for a collective resignation of bar association presidents nationwide due to an escalating dispute with the Ministry of Justice over proposed reforms to the legal profession.
In a detailed statement, the bureau said the presidents of Morocco’s 17 bar associations would submit their resignations, warning that they would refuse to supervise or organize future professional elections.
“The bureau announces the determination of the presidents of the seventeen bar associations to convene extraordinary general assemblies to submit their resignations in protest against what it describes as an irresponsible situation, malicious maneuvers, and the continued undermining of the profession’s core principles and symbolic institutions by the Minister of Justice,” the bureau announced.
“They also declare that they will neither oversee nor organize any professional elections, now or in the future,” the statement added.
The association framed its response as part of what it called an “existential struggle” over the independence and integrity of the legal profession, stating that it “will protect the legal profession from all attempts to undermine its core values, dignity, roles, and practices.”
The dispute centers on amendments to draft legislation governing the legal profession. The bureau accused Justice Minister, Abdellatif Ouahbi, of failing to respect amendments proposed by parliamentary groups.
“The Minister of Justice failed to adhere to the amendments submitted by the parliamentary majority itself, despite being part of a government whose Head had committed to consensual agreements in the name of the governing majority,” the bureau of the Association of Bar Associations stated.
It further alleged that the minister introduced oral amendments that deviated from established legislative procedures and affected provisions related to the profession’s independence and immunity. It added that other amendments submitted by both majority and opposition parties aimed at strengthening professional guarantees were rejected.
The statement also addressed tensions during parliamentary discussions, referring to what it described as unacceptable language used toward bar presidents and accusing the minister and his allies of hostility and personal targeting.
