Benkiran's new PJD: moderation and closeness to the Monarchy

Benkiran has returned to refloat the Justice and Development Party, the dominant party in the last decade of the Moroccan party camp that was surprisingly swept aside in the last legislative, regional and local elections on 8 September, falling back to eighth place with only 13 MPs, losing 1,300,000 votes and 112 MPs compared to the 2016 elections. Benkiran, the country's most popular and charismatic political leader, swept the PJD's extraordinary congress held last Saturday in Rabat, obtaining 1,012 votes out of a total of 1,252, 81% of the votes of the congress members.  

Already on Sunday, at the meeting of the party's national council (party parliament), Benkiran wanted to turn the page on the 8 September elections, pointing out that "defeat is part of democracy" and accepting that the debacle is everyone's responsibility, stating that "we are all responsible for the defeat". Benkiran called on his supporters to unite and put an end to internal conflicts, divisions, and discrepancies. 

Regarding the new political orientation of the PJD, Benkiran made it clear that the "PJD is a principled political party that puts the interests of the state before the interests of the party". He emphasised "moderation" and stressed that the "PJD is there to work for the country, not to fight for power". Benkiran also reviewed the fundamental and inalienable principles of his party based on "the unity and stability of the country, the constitutional monarchy and the development of the country". And to round off his speech, he reminded his followers of the Islamic reference, stressing the need for "righteousness and honesty" among his compatriots.  

Benkiran ordered the head of his party's parliamentary group in the House of Representatives, Abdallah Bouano, to tone down and moderate criticism of the current government. He also ordered members of the general secretariat and the national council to refrain from giving interviews or making statements to the press, and to keep quiet on social media. 

Benkiran's call for moderation aims to contribute to the country's stability at a delicate time in Morocco, both internally and externally. The need for Morocco to be a stable country in a highly volatile and unstable region is paramount. It also clearly indicates Benkiran's desire for the PJD to be a useful and positive party for the Moroccan state from the opposition.  

Benkiran has set a new direction for the party based on presenting the PJD as a party close to the monarchy, mature and responsible, which will carry out a moderate opposition in tone to Aziz Akhanouch's government, without stridency or media noise. However, Benkiran will face major challenges, the first of which will be to achieve internal party cohesion, a key issue if he is to aspire to anything in the Moroccan political landscape. The other challenges will be issues of state, such as the deepening of relations with Israel or the reform of the Family Code, both of which are very sensitive issues for the party and its rank and file. The attitude Benkiran's PJD will adopt on these and other state issues will determine the party's future. 

Mohamed Douief Merras.  PhD in Contemporary History from the UB. 

References 

Benkiran's full speech available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zDbdW0k0sY  

https://www.achkayen.com/344576/.html