PJD Regroups After Election Loss, Leverages Government Connections for Future Comeback

The PJD suffered a crushing defeat in the legislative elections of September 8 last, but is not pitying itself. The party is already thinking about the next elections. Saâdeddine El Othmani and his people, who feared failure in the last elections, had placed several members and followers of the Islamist party’s ideology in key positions in various ministries and state administrations. These are "dormant cells" that can be activated in times of crisis. What matters to the Lamp party are the next elections and the role of these "cells" in weaving relational networks in order to activate them when the time comes, notes Assabah.

Moreover, the PJD cadres are loyal to the party and not to the state. This strategy had allowed the party to win the 2015 and 2016 elections. It was put in place in 2011 through the adoption of the bill on appointments to high-level positions and the war on officials and directors of administrations and public institutions, as part of the "fight against fassad" (embezzlement).

For now, the PJD’s "dormant cells" are waiting for instructions to prepare a strong comeback of the party in the next elections.