Rabat – With Morocco’s legislative elections set for September 23, the Party of Authenticity and Modernity (PAM) is putting the reform of survivors’ pensions forward as part of its electoral proposals, arguing that widows should not see their household income cut in half after the death of their husbands.
Speaking at a development-focused communication meeting in Fez today, PAM member Fouzi Lekjaa criticized the current system under which a surviving wife may receive only part of the pension previously paid to her deceased husband.
Lekjaa argued that the death of a household’s main breadwinner does not automatically reduce the family’s financial obligations. Children still need to attend school, rent and loan repayments must continue to be paid, and other household expenses remain.
“It is inconceivable that a widow should receive only half of her husband’s pension,” Lekjaa said, stressing that the family’s needs do not necessarily change following the loss of its main source of income.
He also pointed out that the pension received by the deceased may already have been insufficient to cover household expenses before his death. Reducing that amount further, he argued, can place surviving family members under additional financial pressure.
Lekjaa said PAM has developed mechanisms that would allow a widow to retain the full pension her husband was receiving, or would have been entitled to receive.
The proposal comes as political parties prepare for the September 23 legislative elections, making social protection and household purchasing power key areas of debate. PAM’s proposal specifically targets the treatment of widows within the pension system, although further details on the proposed mechanisms were not provided in the statement.
