Morocco’s Justice and Development Party has voted against amending its internal bylaws to allow Secretary-General Abdelilah Benkirane to run for a third term in office. As many as 126 members of the party’s parliamentary group voted against the amendment while 101 voted in favour.
Article 16 of the party’s bylaws limits the mandate of the Secretary-General to two terms. The party members will meet in December to elect a new Secretary-General.
Benkirane was elected Secretary-General for the first time in 2008 and was re-elected in 2012. He was Prime Minister of Morocco from 2011 to March this year.
Read: Morocco’s king replaces PM Benkirane amid post-election deadlock