Moroccan Jewish Leader to Run in Casablanca Regional Elections

Simon Haïm Skira is aiming for the presidency of the Casablanca-Settat region. "I am a Moroccan. It is true that I left it fifty years ago, but Morocco has never left my heart, my soul and my life. That being said, it is not enough for me to say that I love this country, because any person can affirm it. I want to prove my love for Morocco and Moroccans by defending their interests as an engaged and active political actor," he said.

Born in Casablanca in 1952, the secretary general of the FFJM had emigrated to Israel at the age of 15 before later settling in France. Today, he wants to return to Morocco to stay there. He conditions his return to the country on his election in the next regional elections. He will run under the banner of the PAM, which is, according to him, "a modern party open to everyone who strives, with a lot of will, to open up further to everything that serves the interests of the country," reports Al Ahdath Al Maghribia.

According to Abdellatif Ouahbi, secretary general of the PAM, Simon Haïm Skira is indeed the party’s candidate for the next regional elections. The meetings between the two men had led to the adhesion of the secretary general of the FFJM to the PAM. The party leader also explained that Skira’s candidacy has nothing to do with the normalization of diplomatic relations between Morocco and Israel. "This is a Moroccan citizen of the Jewish faith who has the right to run for elections without his commitment being dependent on any rapprochement with one country or another," he nuanced.