Aziz Akhannouch, Morocco’s Head of Government, has come under fire from his predecessor Saad Eddine El Otmani, who accuses him of distorting the record of previous administrations.
In a sharp response to Akhannouch’s recent television interview, El Otmani said the current leader has repeatedly downplayed the achievements of Justice and Development Party (PJD)-led governments while seeking credit for their reforms.
According to El Otmani, Akhannouch’s rhetoric follows a pattern of “denial, monopolization, and evasion.” He cited initiatives like direct social support programs and the rollout of universal social protection as policies his government launched but which Akhannouch now claims as his own.
El Otmani also stressed that both he and former Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane successfully managed electoral consultations, dismissing Akhannouch’s suggestion that his predecessors failed in this area. Still, he admitted his government could not block the controversial electoral quotient law.
On issues such as water management, healthcare, and the investment charter, El Otmani said Akhannouch has shifted blame onto past governments instead of taking responsibility.
The clash highlights growing political tensions ahead of Morocco’s next elections, as Akhannouch’s National Rally of Independents (RNI) squares off with the PJD, which governed from 2011 to 2021.
