Former Moroccan Prime Minister and Justice and Development Party (PJD) leader Abdelilah Benkirane said Sunday that he still questions whether it was the right decision for his party to remain in government in 2017 rather than move to the opposition.
Speaking at a party meeting in the Oriental region, Benkirane said fear of the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) influenced the decision to stay in power. “When I was governing, PAM was in government alongside me,” he recalled.
“The question of whether we should have gone into opposition is legitimate, and I still wonder if we were right to continue or not.”
Benkirane also criticized his former political rival, PAM secretary-general Ilyas El Omari, describing him as exercising undue influence over ministers and public officials.
“That figure would sit in his villa and receive ministers and heads of public institutions, with everyone sitting before him like children, taking instructions and orders,” Benkirane said, adding that these claims were reported by French media outlet Jeune Afrique.
He recounted a tense exchange with El Omari, joking that while threats were made, no physical harm ever occurred.
The former prime minister emphasized the importance of serious political parties for the stability of the state, warning against weakening Morocco’s monarchy.
He cited historical examples, including Egypt, where the fall of political parties preceded the persecution of the Muslim Brotherhood, saying, “Political parties are the backbone of national stability, and there is no escaping that.”
Benkirane also noted that at certain points in Morocco’s history, some political currents, including leftist and Islamic groups, dreamt of ending the monarchy. “That logic was absurd because all countries that abandoned the monarchy today face difficulties, look at Tunisia and Libya,” he said.
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