Coalition Negotiators In Morocco Report Progress As They Move Towards Democracy
Rabat, Morocco --- December 22, 2011 ... On December 20, the new coalition in Morocco elected Karim Ghellab of the Independence Party as Speaker of the House of Representatives for the term of 2011-2016.
In his acceptance speech, Ghellab pledged “to put the Moroccan citizens’ concerns and expectations at the center” of the House’s action.
The coalition negotiators failed to meet the December 20, 2011 deadline they had hoped to achieve. Back on December 17, the eight members of the Commission responsible for developing the government’s joint program reported to the four party leaders in Morocco that they were hoping to form a government as early as December 20.
Cognizant of the magnitude of the challenge and complexity of the negotiations, Benkirane stressed that “nothing is certain” and that he would not compromise on the integrity, cohesiveness and unity of the new government in Morocco in order to maintain an artificial time table.
“I cannot confirm anything. But if the government is formed on Tuesday, December 20, I will be happy,” he acknowledged.
The Commission will commence discussions on the portfolios to be allocated to each of the four coalition parties in Morocco only after the government’s joint program is formulated, agreed to, and announced.
On December 22, the coalition negotiators reported they were making progress and hoped to complete their work very soon. In response, Benkirane reiterated anew that he and the coalition partners remain committed to the formation of a government of excellence. That he would rather see the coalition negotiations in Morocco taking somewhat longer than compromise on the quality and integrity of a political process which illustrates the finest elements of an open and free democracy.
No comments:
Post a Comment