Morocco’s Government Defends Use of By-Elections as Legal Process for Filling Council Vacancies

When questioned on the subject during the press briefing following the government council, Mustapha Baitas, government spokesperson, specified that it was a regular operation launched by the Ministry of the Interior in the event of a vacancy in one of the councils of the local authorities.

Thus, the minister recalled that such an election was organized in Agadir shortly before the September 8 election to fill a vacant seat in the House of Councilors. The same will be the case on December 2, to re-elect the members of a number of municipal councils nationwide, particularly in the constituencies of Tetouan, Oujda and Fkih Ben Salah, as well as in 19 other territorial constituencies, he announced.

This reaction follows the decision of the PJD party not to participate in a by-election, declaring that it is not concerned by the by-elections, organized in order to fill the vacant seats.

In a press release, the general secretariat of the Islamist formation justified its position by the fact that "the organization of by-elections in this case has no legal basis and is not framed by the electoral laws in force". It also declared to reject the amendments made to the electoral laws, because "in addition to not being able to elect elected councils that express the popular will, they are full of legal and technical loopholes and shortcomings".