Casablanca — According to converging reports, Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch was left frustrated and politically embarrassed after opposition parties and union representatives succeeded in pushing through a series of legislative proposals that the government opposes, including measures to cap fuel prices and transfer the assets of Samir to state ownership.
The proposals were approved during a meeting of the Finance, Planning and Economic Development Committee in the House of Councillors that members of the governing majority failed to attend. Reports said the outcome caused anger within government circles, as measures rejected by the executive advanced through parliament with support from only opposition and union representatives.
The committee vote took place last week and involved seven legislative proposals that had remained pending since 2022. Among the most notable were a proposal to transfer the material and immaterial assets of Samir to the Moroccan state and another aimed at regulating fuel prices through a pricing cap mechanism.
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According to reports, only six committee members participated in the vote. All came from opposition groups and trade union formations, including the Haraki group, the Moroccan Labor Union, the Democratic Confederation of Labour and the National Union of Labor in Morocco. Members of the governing majority were absent, except for committee chairman Moulay Messaoud Agnaou of the Authenticity and Modernity Party.
The approved package also included proposals concerning reform of the civil pension system and retirement age, the creation of a National Agency for Artificial Intelligence, an agency dedicated to protecting and promoting tangible and intangible heritage, and a special fund for maintaining roads and rural routes in mountainous areas.
Reports suggest the developments have intensified discussion about coordination within the governing coalition. Some parliamentary sources allegedly pointed to tensions among majority parties, noting that several governing coalition members were present in parliament on the same day and attended another committee meeting on amendments related to regional governance legislation in the presence of Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit.
The proposals are expected to continue through the legislative process and will eventually be scheduled for a plenary session in the House of Councillors. According to converging reports, members of the governing majority have already begun efforts to address the consequences of the committee vote before the texts reach the next stage of parliamentary debate.
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