A new coalition government signals a new start for Morocco but it faces daunting challenges
On Wednesday, the second Islamic cabinet to accede to authority in the region as a result of the Arab Spring was formed as Abdelilah Benkirane, the head of Morocco’s Islamist PJD party and the newly appointed prime minister of Morocco announced his new coalition cabinet, the first of its kind in the history of the kingdom. This could be the litmus test for the movements and parties of political Islam that, until recently, had always been in the opposition camp and their leaders persecuted and imprisoned, suggested the London-based daily Al
Quds Al Arabi in its editorial. “It is quite easy to be in the opposition and criticise liberal or non-islamic governments’ programmes and magnify their flaws and shortcomings,” said the paper.
PM Benkirane is a dynamic politician known for his openness to other non-islamic movements and his readiness to coexist with different ideologies. He is well aware of the importance of this test for himself and his cabinet. As he announced the cabinet formation, he admitted that his task is by no means easy. He added: “Morocco needs the efforts of its men and women to build a prosperous future for the coming generations.” Then he went on to affirm his strong belief in the Moroccan people who “are capable of miracles” as he described them.
“Rightly so,” commented the paper. “What the Moroccan citi- zens need ... is a government of integrity and good administrative capabilities. It must be highly transparent, accountable and free of corruption. It must prioritise competence over partisanship to avoid repeating former patterns.” Among the many challenges facing the new cabinet, economy is probably the most sizable. The economic situation in Morocco requires colossal efforts to find a solution; the unemployment rate among the youth has surpassed 20 per cent and the main sources of income, such as agriculture, tourism and complementary industries, call for a new administrative perspective that attracts additional Arab and foreign investments, which would in turn create job opportunities and generate more money for the kingdom “that suffers from severe financial anaemia”.
Contrary to previous Moroccan cabinets, Mr Benkirane’s cabinet counts only one woman in its formation, the minister of Solidarity, Women, Families and Social Development. “The single female appointment was unfortunate news and a bad start for the first Islamist-led government in modern Morocco. Moroccan women have had a primordial role in the kingdom’s reformative uprising and they are highly qualified in all domains.” The kingdom of Morocco is on the threshold of a new and different phase that was forged by the will of the people and through ballot boxes and free elections.