On the evening of Monday, October 30, a session of the Rabat Municipal Council opened as part of the regular October session to approve an agenda comprising 17 items.
At the start of the session, the Authenticity and Modernity Group in the Rabat Municipal Council, through a point of order, the Rabat Municipal Council’s failure to include an item condemning the irresponsible statements made by the Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs. Al-Bashir Al-Taqi, head of the Authenticity and Modernity Group in the Municipal Council, emphasized the need for the Council to condemn the provocative statements concerning the country, calling for the Council to open a debate on these statements.
In this regard, Al-Taqi, speaking on behalf of the Authenticity and Modernity Group in the Rabat Municipal Council, condemned the Algerian minister’s irresponsible remarks, while noting that this issue had not been included on the council’s agenda.
From the outset, the session was marked by tensions between the presiding officer, Lahcen El Omrani, and opposition lawmakers from the Authenticity and Modernity Party, who accused him of violating the law by requesting a change to the order of the council’s agenda.
The acting president chose to turn a deaf ear, while the Bami team continued to defend democracy and advocate on behalf of citizens as the opposition.
Meanwhile, Aziz Benazouz, a councilor for the Authenticity and Modernity Party in the Rabat Municipal Council, questioned the rationale behind rushing through the vote on the agenda items without allowing time for debate, accusing the council of pursuing a dictatorial majority policy, and declaring the vote that took place at the beginning of the session invalid.
Benazouz expressed regret over the tense atmosphere created by the council’s leadership, noting that such practices are detrimental to everyone and to democracy in our country. He emphasized that the Authenticity and Modernity Party is deeply committed to the practice of democracy and will not allow its right, as the opposition, to express its views to be curtailed.
Benazouz appealed to the presiding board to listen to the remarks in accordance with the rules of procedure, saying, “You are the majority and it is your right to preside; we are the Constitution and the people have entrusted us with the role of the opposition, and you must grant us our right to oppose.”
The council then proceeded to vote on a number of items, including the council president’s report, which was presented by his deputy. The opposition group argued that the president continues to make the same mistakes by presenting a report without supporting documents.
Regarding the approval of joining the network of Moroccan cities designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Al-Batoul Al-Daoudi criticized, the process of voting on agreements with countries that result in 120 days of travel for the mayor and 42 million centimes in travel expenses, asking about the reports and funding from the countries he visited. What did the council gain from these trips?
Al-Batoul explained that signing an agreement between the two sides requires clarifying the benefits citizens will derive from such agreements, especially given the budget deficit currently facing Rabat, and she stated that her party would abstain from voting on this agreement.
Regarding the review and approval of the multilateral partnership agreement concerning the construction and equipping of a solid waste sorting and recycling center in the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region, the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) called for an impact assessment to be conducted prior to the review and approval, given the significance of the sanitation issue in the capital. However, the chair of the session sidestepped the questions raised by the group and decided to proceed directly to a vote, which provoked the PAM group.
Regarding the item on the review and approval of a partnership agreement between the Rabat Municipal Council and the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra Regional Council concerning the renovation of Dar al-Marini, Team Bami expressed surprise at how the Municipal Council is allocating significant funds for the renovation of a landmark that does not require renovation, arguing that the Council seeks to exploit the only landmark it owns in the region solely for the purpose of embezzling public funds.
Khadija Al-Rahali
