Saad Eddine El Othmani, Secretary-General of the Moroccan “Justice and Development” Party (leader of the outgoing government coalition), denied Saturday that his party was subjected to a “punitive” vote in the recent parliamentary elections.
This came according to his speech during the extraordinary session of the National Council (Parliament of the party) of the Justice and Development Party to prepare for the election of a new leadership, which was held in the capital, Rabat, the details of which were transmitted to the party’s website.
In the last elections, which took place on September 9, the “Justice and Development” party came in eighth place, recording a significant decline by obtaining only 13 seats.
Al-Othmani asked: “How can the party be punished without the other parties that make up the majority, and how is this equal in the groups (municipalities) that the party managed (their conduct) with the groups in which it was in the opposition, and how is the punitive vote in favor of one of the components of the majority?” (In reference to the party’s retreat in the municipalities it was running and the municipalities in which it was in opposition).
He pointed out that his party “confirmed in a statement issued on September 9 that the results it obtained in the elections are illogical, incomprehensible and unreasonable, and do not reflect the political map, nor do they reflect the party’s position and outcome in managing local and governmental affairs.”
Al-Othmani said, “Greetings to those who voted for the party despite the intimidation campaigns, and our respect for those who voted freely and with conviction for those who were not the party’s candidates.”
The National Council of the Justice and Development Party elected Al-Mu’tasim Mosque as the head of the exceptional National Congress of the Justice and Development Party (to elect a new leadership).
Over the past few days, Moroccan Prime Minister-designate Aziz Akhannouch held meetings with leaders of the political parties represented in Parliament as part of his ongoing consultations to form the new government.
And last Friday, King Mohammed VI of Morocco commissioned Akhannouch to form the new government after his party, the National Rally of Independents (Central), topped the results of the legislative elections that took place last Wednesday.
The National Rally of Independents won 102 out of 395 seats in the House of Representatives (the main chamber of parliament), followed by the “Authenticity and Modernity” parties 86 seats, the “Istiqlal” 81 seats, the Socialist Union 35 seats, and the People’s Movement. 29 seats, “Progress and Socialism” 21, “Constitutional Union” 18, and “Justice and Development” 13.
