Morocco’s Outgoing PM El Othmani Touts Government Achievements Ahead of Election

"Despite the late formation of this government - more than six months late - and a global health crisis with deep economic and social repercussions, the government led by the PJD has been able to achieve the essential of the program it had presented in 2017. We made such good progress between 2017 and 2019 that our achievements allowed us to be quite well prepared to face the crisis. Certainly, we did not implement everything, but the record of our achievements is quite honorable," said El Othmani in an interview with Jeune Afrique.

He claims that his government has also been the most productive in terms of legislation. In total, more than 200 laws were passed and four major framework laws. The social agreement was "concluded halfway through the term and not at the end of the term as was the case for some governments," he added. Furthermore, the head of government assures that poverty, vulnerability of people and inequalities have decreased significantly. To support his statements, he cites the statistics of the High Commission for Planning (HCP). According to the HCP, the poverty rate fell from 4.8% in 2013 to 1.7% in 2019, and the percentage of people in precarious situations, from 12.5% to 7.3%.

What about corruption? "To win the war against corruption, we must win several battles. This is the logic in which we have been engaged since the first day and which has allowed Morocco’s progress in the corruption perception index," said El Othmani, adding that his government has embarked on several fronts, not only against corruption but against malfeasance in general. "In addition to direct actions, such as the toll-free number used to report acts of corruption, we have given high priority to the digitization of public services, as well as the simplification of administrative procedures and their publication online".