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Join on Telegram Rabat – The Rally of Independents (RNI), Morocco’s ruling party run by Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch, has expressed “frustration” with an open letter addressed by the Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS) to condemn soaring food and energy prices.
On March 30, PPS sent an open letter to Akhannouch to express “great concern” over the government’s “irresponsible management” of the “exorbitant and unbearable rise” in food prices.
PPS took issue with the government’s silence and inaction to tackle the situation that affects all citizens, particularly those with average and low incomes.
The party also accused the government of failing to take strong and effective measures to preserve citizens’ purchasing power amid economic difficulties.
RNI responded to the letter, claiming that the PPS’ statement does not “meet democratic standards.”
“We reject and denounce expressions used in the letter such as the words ‘indifference’ and ‘irresponsibility’ which unfortunately degrade the level of political discourse,” RNI said.
Akhannouch’s political party also expressed anger that the letter was not addressed to the Head of Government through constitutional channels.
“Rather, its authors chose to address a constitutional institution in a partisan capacity and with a political dictionary that questions its electoral commitments as a party,” RNI said, citing the majority of votes the political party secured during the 2021 elections.
RNI’s remarks come amid soaring prices and nationwide uproar about the declining purchasing power of Moroccan citizens.
The soaring prices have been affecting all food commodities, including vegetables, grains, and meats.
Onion prices range between MAD 13 and over while green and red peppers can be seen sold at MAD 20 and MAD 38 respectively.
The price hikes angered Moroccan citizens, many of whom decided to abandon some products due to their vulnerable purchasing power.
The situation has been ongoing for months and exhibited during the holy month of Ramadan, despite promises from government officials that prices would go down.
Despite anger and frustration, the government continues to attribute the situation to the global context – including the Ukraine Russia war and climate change.
The government’s justification has been frequently criticized by both citizens and opposition parties such as PPS.
Last week, the Secretary General of PPS Nabil Benabdellah echoed the party’s letter,and accused the government of doing “nothing” to protect citizens’ purchasing power in the last two and a half years.
Benabdellah also emphasized that Akhannouch’s cabinet failed to fulfill the ten promises made to Moroccans during his electoral campaign, including the creation of one million jobs.
A report from Morocco’s Government Work Observatory shared similar concerns, listing a series of shortcomings on the government’s part.
In addition to inaction, the report stressed that the cabinet lacked “any vision when it comes to addressing the structural imbalances and system of supplying Morocco’s market.”
A recent report from the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) voiced Moroccans’ concerns, with 93% of respondents identifying food prices as one of the top crises facing the country.
Drought is another issue leveled by the repping, with farmers concerned and pushed to abandon cultivating due to climate issues, which in turn lowers supply and raises prices in Moroccan markets.
