Rabat – A parliamentary committee in the Moroccan parliament’s upper house, the House of Councillors, has approved a draft law to reorganize the country’s media regulator, the National Press Council.
In a vote on Monday, the Committee on Education, Cultural and Social Affairs approved Draft Law No. 09.26 by a majority. Five members voted in favor, three voted against, and one abstained. Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, attended the session.
Committee chair Abderrahman Drissi said the approval followed detailed discussions of the bill’s provisions. He expressed hope that the legislative process would move quickly so the law could be implemented, adding that the reform is important to address the current situation in the press and publishing sector.
The bill was returned to Parliament after Morocco’s Constitutional Court reviewed an earlier version and ruled that several of its provisions were not in line with the Constitution.
In its January ruling (Decision No. 261/26), the Constitutional Court struck down five articles of the law reorganizing the National Press Council. The case was brought by 96 members of the House of Representatives, who challenged nine articles before the law was officially enacted.
A central issue for the court was the structure of the council. It ruled that the design gave publishers more seats than journalists without sufficient justification, which violated constitutional principles of equality and balance within professional bodies. The court said this weakened the independent and democratic nature of the council.
The court also rejected provisions that would have allowed a single publishers’ organization to take all seats allocated to publishers, calling it a violation of pluralism. It further struck down rules on the leadership structure of the council, saying they were inconsistent and could not be properly applied, as well as a clause involving a conflict of interest in the disciplinary appeals process.
At the same time, the court upheld several other articles, confirming that lawmakers have discretion in defining conditions for membership and disciplinary rules, as long as constitutional principles are respected.
In a vote showing division among lawmakers last month, Morocco’s House of Representatives approved the revised Draft Law No. 09.26 that reorganizes the National Press Council. The bill passed with 70 votes in favor and 25 against.
The government says the revised law aims to strengthen self-regulation in Morocco’s media sector, yet critics continue to raise concerns about representation and independence within the council as the reform moves forward.
