Rabat – The election of judges’ representatives to the Supreme Council of the Judicial Power took place on Saturday, with a voter turnout of 94.9%.
The Supreme Council of the Judicial Power said in a statement today that the polling station committees completed the counting and tallying of votes.
The final results for representatives of judges from the various courts of appeal covered the election of Hicham Bahar, who received 631 votes; Abderrazak Jebbari, with 590 votes; Mustapha Ait Aissa, with 449 votes; and Imane Msaad, with 310 votes.
The results for representatives of judges from different courts of first instance marked the election of Abderrahmane Sebai, who received 1,549 votes; Hicham Hadri, with 1,135 votes; Samir Ait Arjdal, with 827 votes; Sahar Azzouzi, with 692 votes; Nazim Lakhdar, with 674 votes; and Souad Dada, with 613 votes.
The elections came after a June decision by King Mohammed VI to renew Mohamed Abdennabaoui’s term as First President of the Court of Cassation. He also serves as Delegate President of the Supreme Council of the Judicial Power.
The monarch also appointed Latifa El Harradji and Nadir El Moumni as new members of the council. Both took the constitutional oath before the King during the audience.
In a separate set of appointments, the monarch named Farid El Bacha and renewed the mandates of Mohamed Zouak and Mohamed Ennasser for second terms. All three belong to the category of distinguished personalities whose appointment to the council is a direct royal prerogative under the constitution.
Under Article 107 of Morocco’s 2011 constitution, the King is the guarantor of the independence of the judiciary. Article 115 stipulates that the Supreme Council of the Judicial Power is presided over by the King. The council manages the professional careers of magistrates, oversees judicial governance, and issues opinions on matters related to the justice system.
