Benkirane attacks Morocco’s ruling coalition as PJD launches election campaign

Abdelilah Benkirane, secretary-general of Morocco’s Justice and Development Party, on Saturday launched a broad attack on Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch’s five-year term, accusing the governing coalition of prioritizing personal and political interests over solving the country’s problems.

Speaking at the PJD’s national rally in Rabat to launch its campaign for Morocco’s 2026 legislative elections, Benkirane said the government’s tenure had been marked by what he described as a culture of “predation” involving public resources.

He argued that officials who assumed responsibility during the past five years had not approached government with the objective of addressing the country’s problems, but instead behaved as though they had been given free rein to benefit from state and public resources for themselves, their relatives and political allies.

Benkirane said the problem began with the approach adopted by political actors before reaching positions of power, arguing that some had mastered the means of accessing decision-making positions through Parliament, government, local councils and diplomatic posts.

PJD says government failures helped its comeback

Benkirane also accused his party’s political opponents of working to bring down the PJD, which has an Islamic reference and previously led Morocco’s government for two consecutive terms.

He said the party’s defeat in the 2021 elections, when it won 13 seats in the House of Representatives, led its opponents to believe that the PJD had been politically marginalized.

According to Benkirane, a culture of “predation” had subsequently become widespread among political parties. He said some opponents believed the PJD’s political future was limited to remaining a marginal party or disappearing altogether.

“God is the one who revived the party,” Benkirane said, arguing that the PJD had now returned to the political scene.

He described the past five years as a difficult period for the party, particularly following the resignation of its previous leadership and the election of a new leadership that combined experienced members with newcomers.

Benkirane said the party spent much of that period recovering from internal difficulties and a sense of discouragement among some members, which at times resulted in limited attendance at party events.

He argued that what he characterized as mistakes by the current government had ultimately helped the PJD regain its political momentum.

“If we had found a government that governed with justice and reason and placed society’s interests among its priorities, we would not have been able to re-emerge,” Benkirane said.

He added that the PJD had returned to political life regardless of its current size, saying the party was not created to remain silent, seek political rewards or ignore corruption and injustice.

Benkirane said the party would continue to speak out on issues it considers important regardless of the number of seats it holds or the size of its political presence.

Azami attacks government promises

Idriss Azami, the party’s deputy secretary-general, also criticized the government’s economic and social record, calling for policies that preserve macroeconomic and social stability while strengthening Morocco’s economic and financial sovereignty.

Azami described the 2026 elections as an opportunity to hold political leaders accountable for their record in office.

He warned voters against what he called unrealistic promises made by governing parties during the final stages of the election campaign, citing pledges to create 1 million jobs and reduce unemployment.

Azami also criticized the government’s “Forsa” entrepreneurship program, saying it had failed to meet expectations and accusing governing parties of making promises they later abandoned.

He further criticized Akhannouch over disputes with professional groups, citing the recent lawyers’ strike as an example of what he described as the government’s failure to honor its commitments.

Azami said voters were now facing a choice between two contrasting political projects whose consequences they had witnessed during the government’s five-year term.

He called instead for an “reformist and development-oriented” project centered on serving national interests, protecting citizens’ legitimate interests, strengthening transparency and accountability, and combating corruption and political patronage.

Azami contrasted that vision with what he described as a “authoritarian” and “predatory” approach to governance that, in his view, had contributed to conflicts of interest, patronage and the misuse of positions of influence for private interests.

He also accused the government’s policies of contributing to social unrest, protests and declining public confidence while benefiting a limited and privileged segment of society at the expense of the middle class, lower-income groups and small and medium-sized businesses.

Azami criticized what he called “empty slogans” used by some governing parties during the campaign, referring specifically to the slogan “For changing course” associated with the Authenticity and Modernity Party.

PJD candidates sign electoral charter

During the rally, PJD candidates for the upcoming legislative elections also signed an electoral charter setting out their parliamentary and party-related commitments.

The “Justice and Development Party Elected Officials Charter” defines the relationship between the party and its elected representatives in the House of Representatives and links the assumption of public responsibility to accountability, while emphasizing integrity, transparency and trustworthiness.

Azami signed the charter symbolically on behalf of the party’s candidates, alongside Fatima Walchai, head of the party’s regional list for the Casablanca-Settat region, who is contesting her first election with the PJD.

According to the document presented during the rally, the charter constitutes a contractual commitment between the PJD and its elected representatives and is governed by the party’s internal rules and procedures.