Moroccan PM: Elections are people’s tool to influence power

Political tensions prevailed in the Moroccan Parliament’s monthly session which addressed the government’s preparations for the upcoming elections originally scheduled for June, but postponed until September.

Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane yesterday called on the Moroccan people to register to vote, noting however that his government cannot force people to do so.

Benkirane said: “The parties in Morocco bear a great responsibility in determining the future relations between citizens and elected institutions”, pointing out that “the people’s tool to influence power is their vote which they use to decide who represents them.”

Remarking on the debate about who will oversee the elections, whether the interior ministry or the prime minister, Benkirane said: “King Mohammed VI, in his capacity as governor, decided that the prime minister will oversee the elections,” adding that some have already criticised this decision.

Benkirane said: “I did not come to sell illusions to Moroccan citizens,” explaining that “he is exercising the powers conferred upon him by the constitution, but he knows where his powers stop.”

The opposition criticised the government’s plans to prepare for the elections and the Moroccan’s reluctance to register to vote as the registration deadline nears, expressing discontent at the prime minister’s inability to do anything about it.