Growing Demands for the Dissolution of the Muslim Brotherhood's Political Wing in Morocco
In recent times, Morocco has seen a resurgence of political and legal calls for the dissolution of the Justice and Development Party (PJD), which is widely regarded as the political face of the Muslim Brotherhood in the country. These demands come in response to claims that the party acts against the higher interests of the state and attempts to circumvent national achievements, thereby necessitating a sovereign decision to halt its activities. According to reports from The Independent, this renewed public and political momentum is largely due to widespread academic and research assertions urging King Mohammed VI to intervene and put a stop to the activities of this Islamist party. It is important to note that these calls are not new; they trace back to critical moments in Moroccan history, particularly following the tragic terrorist attacks in Casablanca on May 16, 2003, when the party was held morally responsible for its extremist rhetoric.
The pressure on the PJD intensifies as the country approaches legislative elections scheduled for September 23, where the party is striving to regain its footing after a significant setback in the 2021 elections, where it fell to eighth place with only 13 seats, having previously led the government for two consecutive terms since 2011. Analysts attribute the decline in the party's popularity and the rising calls for its dissolution to a series of "managerial missteps" and disastrous decisions made during its governance. Notably, these include the controversial decision by party leader Abdelilah Benkirane to lift subsidies on fuel and dismantle the compensation fund, as well as the 2020 normalization agreement signed by party leader and former Prime Minister Saadeddine Othmani, which exposed the pragmatic contradictions between the party's proclaimed ideals and its actions.
Political analyst Rashid Al-Azraq emphasized that the calls for the party's dissolution are partially rooted in the sensitive nature of its Islamic reference within the political landscape, compounded by its failures in governmental management which have left a wide sense of disappointment. He highlighted that the integration of Islamists in Morocco was contingent upon functioning as a civil party under the constitution, rather than as an entity monopolizing religion or moral legitimacy. In response to this political storm, the party has resorted to counterattacks. Benkirane described the calls for dissolution as "the plea of the ignorant," accusing political competitors of employing "mercenaries and systematic demonization" to obstruct the party's return to prominence. Additionally, party leader Abdel Latif Sudan criticized the discourse surrounding dissolution as exclusionary, rejecting the principle of pluralism.
As reported by hafryat.com.
