The National Rally of Independents Pushes Its President and Ministers to Contest the Moroccan Elections

SadaNews - On Friday evening, the "National Rally of Independents," the leader of the current government coalition in Morocco, announced the nomination of its new president and four of its ministers, along with the President of the House of Representatives (the first chamber of parliament), to contest the upcoming legislative elections on September 23, which are expected to be a decisive moment, while the current Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch was notably absent.

In a move that carries significant implications and raises questions in the political landscape of the country, the nomination list of the "National Rally of Independents" includes the current party president Mohamed Chouki, and four of his ministers: Karim Zidane, the Minister Delegate for Investment, Coordination, and Evaluation of Public Policies, who will compete in the Youssoufia district of the Marrakech-Safi region; Ahmed Bouwari, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development, Water, and Forests, nominated in the Wazzan district in the Tangier-Hoceima region; and Lahsen Saidi, the Secretary of State in charge of Traditional Industry and Social Solidarity Economy, nominated in the northern Taroudant district in the Souss-Massa region; as well as Mustafa Baïtas, the Minister in charge of Relations with Parliament and the Government Spokesperson, who will contest the elections in the Sidi Ifni district of the Guelmim-Oued Noun region.

While Akhannouch’s name was absent from the nominations for the upcoming legislative elections, it was notable that Rashid Talbi Alami, the current President of the House of Representatives, was endorsed for nomination in the Tetouan district, along with former minister Mohamed Sadiqi, who was nominated in the Borkane district in the eastern region.

This comes at a time when the leadership of the National Rally of Independents, which leads the current Moroccan government after defeating the Islamist Justice and Development Party in the legislative elections of September 8, 2021, is betting on remaining at the helm of the government for a second consecutive term, making the upcoming elections on September 23, 2026 a critical battle for the party. Conversely, the nomination of party ministers and prominent leaders, such as the current party president and the President of the House of Representatives, reflects a clear political trend aimed at leveraging the governmental presence and political symbolism of its leaders to maintain its position in the Moroccan political scene after the Islamist governments.

Furthermore, pushing the party’s president, the President of the House of Representatives, and several of its current and former ministers sends strong messages at a time when the upcoming legislative elections seem unlikely to be an easy station for the party, especially in light of the economic and social transformations the country is experiencing, alongside rising public expectations and voter dissatisfaction with the current government’s policies. In this context, Abdel Hafid El Younsi, a political science professor at Hassan I University in Settat (central Morocco), considered the nomination of the National Rally of Independents’ president, its ministers, and the President of the House of Representatives to be "a normal step and politically necessary, given that it is the party leading the current government." He explained that "the upcoming elections, in theory, represent accountability to voters and, consequently, an examination of the possibility of punitive voting or not."