Moroccan parties form governing coalition

Morocco’s new Islamist prime minister is working to form a broad-based ruling alliance.

By Siham Ali for Magharebia in Rabat – 08/12/11

[Siham Ali] Former Prime Minister and Istiqlal chief Abbas El Fassi is joining a coalition led by the PJD’s Abdelilah Benkirane.

With agreement from the Popular Movement and the Istiqlal Party, Moroccan Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane now has a governing majority in Parliament. Together with Benkirane’s Justice and Development Party (PJD), the coalition holds 199 seats, one more than necessary for a majority.

But the PJD is looking for a comfortable ruling majority and Benkirane has embarked on a series of negotiations since his appointment by King Mohammed VI. The new prime minister at first courted the Koutla parties before the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP) announced their intention to join the opposition on Sunday (December 4th).

Campaigners from the USFP, which tumbled from first place in the 2002 elections to fifth place in 2007 and 2011, felt it was time to heed the message being given to them by the people and move across to the opposition so they could rebuild the party and restore the credibility it had lost over recent years.

“We’re opposed to pre-established alliances,” said Driss Lachguer, a member of the USFP’s policy committee. “It’s the will of the people which should come first. The message from the ballot box was perfectly clear. Voters want a change. The USFP isn’t going to cling onto power at any price.”

Benkirane told the press that it was right to respect the decision taken by the USFP, who would make a constructive opposition.

Abdellah Bekkali, a member of the Istiqlal executive committee, said that his party had a number of conditions before joining the government. For example, they want a guarantee that a large portion of their manifesto will be implemented and refuse to enter into an alliance with the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) and the National Rally of Independents (RNI). Both RNI and PAM have already announced their wish to join the opposition.

Young people want to be part of the new ministerial team, according to Abdelkader El Kihel, the chairman of Istiqlal’s youth wing who was just elected as an MP from the national list. “Within Istiqlal, we have a range of skills, and the door should be open to them,” he said.

Mustapha Adichane, a member of the Party for Progress and Socialism’s policy committee, said his party was leaning towards joining the coalition to serve the interests of the country, even though some voices within the party are calling for it to join the opposition. The party will reach a final decision when the central committee meets on December 10th.

Some have criticised the coalition between a conservative Islamist party and a left-wing party. Benkirane said people should not think about it in these terms, because the current situation is quite unusual and requires everyone to join forces to lead Morocco towards the development that people are counting on.

“Of course we have our differences at the ideological level, but we are agreed on a number of points,” the prime minister told reporters.

The Popular Movement has also said it is in favour of taking part. The Constitutional Union (UC) has made similar noises, waiting impatiently for Benkirane to contact them. According to one UC source who requested anonymity, the party will accept any offer from the PJD, because it wants to move off the opposition benches where it has spent the last 15 years.

The PJD is in favour of a government with no more than 25 ministerial posts, in order to restrict expenditure and keep a tight rein on its activities, according to Lahcen Daoudi, the party’s assistant secretary-general.

A clear message needs to be heard on the streets, where people are waiting for change, he said. Benkirane has promised to allocate government posts based on competency. In any case, Daoudi said the process of appointing ministers will not take place until the party’s national council meets following the negotiations.