Government Majority’s Presidency Meets to Discuss Political, Socio-Economic Situation

Questions relating to the political and socio-economic situation in Morocco were the focus of a meeting organized on Monday in Rabat by the Presidency of the Government Majority. The meeting, chaired by the President of the National Rally of Independents, Aziz Akhannouch, and the Secretaries General of the Authenticity et Modernity and Istiqlal parties, Abdellatif Ouahbi and Nizar Baraka respectively, was attended by the Speakers of both Houses of Parliament, ministers and members of the parliamentary groups of the three parties, as well as the Secretary General of the Constitutional Union Mohamed Joudar, which supports the government, said Tuesday a press release by the Presidency of the governmental majority. The meeting examined ways of strengthening collaboration between the government and all the components of the governmental majority, the statement said, noting that the Presidency welcomed the Executive’s commitment, in line with the agenda set by His Majesty the King, to implementing the social protection project on schedule, having succeeded in generalizing the compulsory health insurance scheme by the end of 2022. The second phase of this national project, initiated by the Sovereign, will be implemented before the end of the year, based on a clear vision and with an unprecedented budget of nearly 35 billion dirhams by 2024, thus creating a new generation of social contracts between the State and its citizens. The majority also welcomed the Head of Government’s meeting with the majority and opposition parties in Parliament, which was devoted to examining the implementation of the direct social assistance program, as well as the spirit of responsibility and political commitment demonstrated by all the political parties that took part in the meeting, fully assuming their political roles. The majority commended the government’s adoption of the decree on direct housing assistance, and the content of the 2024 Finance Bill, which incorporates the general guidelines of the government program and enshrines the foundations of the social state despite internal and exogenous economic constraints. It also hailed the government’s concern, since the beginning of its mandate, to carry out a genuine reform of the public school system to consolidate equity and equal opportunities for all Moroccan children, through a participative approach involving the most representative trade unions, with whom the Executive has worked, seriously and responsibly, to give substance to a new statute, unchanged for over 20 years. The press release, which emphasized that the government had followed the same path of dialogue and openness adopted by the Minister of National Education, Preschool and Sports, warmly welcomed the Head of Government’s decision to set up a commission comprising the Minister of National Education, Preschool and Sports, the Minister for Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Employment and Skills and the Minister Delegate in charge of the Budget to conduct a dialogue with the unions on the issues and points of divergence with a view to improving the aforementioned statute, reflecting the government’s firm resolve to overcome differences. After recalling the content of the Royal Speech on the occasion of the 48th anniversary of the Green March, the majority hailed the Sovereign’s far-sighted vision aimed at breathing new life into the southern provinces, reaffirming its constant attachment to the spirit of the Green March for the continuation of the building process in the Moroccan Sahara, which has seen considerable progress since the accession of His Majesty the King to the Throne of His glorious ancestors, notably following the adoption of the development model for the southern provinces. The government majority also expressed its satisfaction with the content of the latest UN Security Council resolution on the Moroccan Sahara, reiterating its mobilization behind the Sovereign to strengthen the internal front to defend the Kingdom’s territorial integrity and thwart all maneuvers by its enemies. It vigorously condemned the criminal and terrorist act that targeted a residential neighborhood in Es-Semara, stressing the need to take a firm stance against anyone wishing to undermine the peace and security of citizens or Morocco’s stability. On the other hand, the majority denounced the Israeli aggression against Gaza, calling for an immediate end to this war, for intervention by the international community to protect civilians and open humanitarian corridors for the delivery of aid to Palestinians, and for the establishment with the Palestinian Authority of a political perspective to the Palestinian cause leading to a two-state solution and the establishment of a sovereign and viable Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Al-Quds as its capital. It highly commended the great efforts made by HM King Mohammed VI, Chairman of the Al Quds Committee, to protect the Holy City and preserve its historic character, legal status and sacred religious sites. The majority welcomed the content of the Royal Letter addressed by HM King Mohammed VI, Commander of the Faithful, to the Head of Government for the opening of the Family Code reform project, expressing its appreciation of the Sovereign’s high guidance and foresight in this major societal undertaking, and affirming its support for this important project with a view to its success.