Heated Discussions at Rabat's Council Meeting
The ordinary session of the Rabat municipal council held on October 21, 2024, emerged as a battleground of accusations and protests, overshadowing the primary agenda of discussing the proposed 2027 budget. Political and managerial discrepancies took center stage, creating an environment rife with tension and contention among council members. The session witnessed a dramatic escalation when Hicham Akamhi, the deputy mayor, accused Driss Razi, the president of the Hassan district council, of misappropriating 150,000 dirhams allocated for catering purposes in the municipal budget for his son's ceremonial event, known as "_aqiqa_". This confrontation underpinned a broader discussion marked by conflicts concerning budgetary allocations and expenditure methods, transforming what was intended to be a budgetary debate into a personal dispute, as reported by Al Akhbar.
PJD Group Withdraws Amid Allegations of Irregularities
In retaliation, Driss Razi responded by accusing Hicham Akamhi, a fellow member of the National Rally of Independents (RNI), of instigating irregularities and obstructing the functioning of the Hassan district council. Concurrently, the Justice and Development Party (PJD), led by Anas Dahmouni, opted to withdraw from the session dedicated to discussing the budget proposal. They justified their withdrawal by highlighting what they described as "legal and accounting anomalies" that marred the preparation of the proposal, along with the absence of conditions for meaningful consultation and responsiveness to opposition suggestions.
The PJD group pointed out discrepancies between two versions of the budget presentation note. The first version indicated an increase of 200 million dirhams in revenues coupled with a deficit of 636,000 dirhams, while the second version reported only an 80 million dirham increase. This inconsistency raised serious questions about the accuracy of the financial assumptions made and the thoroughness of document revisions before being presented to council members.
Moreover, the PJD group noted concerns regarding adherence to circular number 12855 issued by the Minister of the Interior on October 1, 2026, which pertains to the formulation of municipal budgets for the year 2027. The circular emphasizes the need for rationalizing expenditures and adopting realistic forecasts that take into consideration the financial capabilities of the municipality. The discussions also cast a spotlight on the expenditure accounts of the Agdal and Yacoub El Mansour districts, prompting a renewed debate on the nature of political governance within the capital's municipality and the extent of disagreement among its various factions.
As reported by fr.le360.ma.
