Morocco’s House of Representatives approved the government program of Head of Government Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri on Thursday, securing 204 votes in favor and 127 against, completing the constitutional process required for the new government’s parliamentary investiture.
A total of 331 lawmakers took part in the vote, held at the end of a plenary session during which El Mansouri responded to parliamentary groups’ remarks on her government’s program for the 2027-2031 term.
The vote was conducted under Article 88 of Morocco’s Constitution and Articles 261 and 262 of the House of Representatives’ rules of procedure.
During the session, El Mansouri also defended her government’s decision to discuss and approve the 2027 Finance Bill before securing parliamentary investiture, arguing that the move did not violate the Constitution. She also traded sharp criticism with the opposition Justice and Development Party (PJD) over electoral integrity, political rhetoric and women’s employment.
El Mansouri defends government’s handling of Finance Bill
El Mansouri rejected allegations that her government had violated the Constitution by discussing and approving the 2027 Finance Bill at its first meeting before obtaining parliamentary investiture.
“The Constitution, as well as the relevant organic laws, clearly grants the government, following its appointment, the right to meet in the Council of Ministers and the Government Council to discuss the Finance Bill and submit it to Parliament,” she said.
She added that the government was only prohibited from debating the bill within Parliament before completing the investiture process.
“Therefore, discussion of the Finance Bill will begin tomorrow,” El Mansouri said, arguing that the government’s approach was consistent with the spirit of the Constitution and relevant legislation.
Addressing PJD parliamentary group leader Idriss El Azami Idrissi, she added: “Do not forget that I am a lawyer and well-versed in constitutional law.”
El Mansouri accuses PJD of double standards on elections
The head of government sharply criticized the PJD over what she described as inconsistencies in its positions on electoral integrity and its longstanding criticism of her party, the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM).
El Mansouri recalled that the Interior Ministry had adopted a participatory approach to preparing the legislation governing the Sept. 23, 2026, elections, following instructions from King Mohammed VI.
She said all political parties represented in Parliament, including the PJD, had participated in discussions and ultimately reached an agreement on the electoral laws.
El Mansouri questioned why the PJD had described elections as fair and credible when it performed well but raised allegations of electoral manipulation when it failed to secure first place.
“This double standard in discourse is what has confused Moroccans and cost the group its credibility,” she said.
Government chief dismisses PJD’s electoral fraud allegations
El Mansouri also responded to the PJD’s references to an incident involving a bag containing ballot papers discovered at a polling station during the September elections.
The case led to legal proceedings against seven people, including Tangier Mayor Mounir Lemouri, a member of PAM.
El Azami Idrissi had raised the incident during the parliamentary debate on the government program.
El Mansouri argued that irregularities had been reported at only one or two polling stations out of approximately 41,000 nationwide, describing the incident as an individual matter rather than evidence of a party-wide problem.
She also cited a 2015 case in which a PJD candidate was caught distributing money, saying the party had suspended his membership pending the proceedings.
She compared that response with PAM’s decision to suspend Lemouri’s party membership pending the outcome of the judicial process.
“No one is above the law, whether from your party or ours,” she said.
El Mansouri urged the PJD to respect PAM members and Moroccan citizens, arguing that the party’s rhetoric about political control and victimhood had lost its effectiveness.
“The discourse of political control and victimhood that worked for you in 2011 no longer works,” she told the PJD parliamentary group leader.
El Mansouri accuses PJD members of political smears
The head of government also challenged the PJD’s repeated criticism of PAM’s origins, arguing that questions could equally be raised about the PJD’s own formation.
She further accused PJD members of making serious allegations against PAM officials, including claims that they were serving Zionist interests.
“You have accused Moroccans and us of treason,” she said, adding that the PJD had accused PAM’s president and the justice minister of serving a Zionist agenda.
“We have not accused anyone of treason because we believe everyone serves the country,” El Mansouri said.
Her remarks also included a reference to allegations involving a PJD member who was arrested on suspicion of selling drugs in Safi. The comment briefly heightened tensions in the chamber before she continued her address.
El Mansouri defended her own record, noting that she had served two terms as mayor of Marrakesh without facing criminal prosecution.
El Mansouri challenges PJD leader’s remarks on women’s employment
El Mansouri also criticized former Prime Minister and PJD Secretary-General Abdelilah Benkirane over a previous remark that women should remain at home like a thouraya — a traditional hanging lamp — to illuminate the household.
She argued that such comments overlooked the circumstances of widowed and divorced women who must work to support themselves and their families.
Addressing PJD lawmakers, she accused the party of supporting education and employment for its own daughters while expecting other Moroccan women to remain at home.
“Unfortunately, I am not a lamp. I have a conscience, convictions and a history of struggle,” El Mansouri said.
Her remarks underscored the political and social divisions that emerged during the parliamentary debate, even as the approval of the government program formally completed the new administration’s constitutional investiture process.
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