Morocco Moves to Abolish Pensions for Lawmakers, Considers Extending to Ministers

According to the Chairman of the said Commission Abdellah Bouanou, the members of the bureau of the commission are rather in favor of an outright abolition of such a pension and not its reform. A position also shared by the President of the first chamber, Habib El Malki, who, however, wishes preliminary financial and legal consultations.

"This is a strong signal to public opinion in the current context," rejoiced Abdellah Bouanou, followed by Hanane Rihab, a deputy from the USFP, who goes further by proposing the extension of the proposal to ministers.

"We must definitively settle the debate tending to maintain retirement pensions for parliamentarians, for ministers (they do not contribute to the financing of the pension scheme and obtain a large pension) and for any representative function... These pensions must be liquidated and abolished," she argued.

And she concluded: "It is also necessary to deal responsibly and objectively with the large and multiple allowances received by senior officials in the country. Morocco today needs clear signals, to create a national consensus around solidarity and unity to deal with this crisis situation."