Rachid Talbi Alami, from the National Rally of Independents Party, has been re-elected as the President of Morocco’s House of Representatives for the remainder of the current parliamentary term.
The election took place during the public session marking the opening of the second legislative session for 2023-2024.
The election saw Talbi Alami (the parliamentary majority’s candidate) compete against Abdelilah Bouanou, the leader of the Justice and Development Party’s parliamentary group.
According to the internal regulations of the Council, “the President of the Council is elected at the beginning of the parliamentary term and then in its third year during the April session for the remainder of the term, as stipulated by Article 62 of the Constitution.”
Talbi Alami secured his position with 264 votes against 23 votes for Mr. Bouanou, with a total of 324 expressed votes and 37 invalid ballots.
In his speech for the occasion, Talbi Alami thanked all members of the House of Representatives for re-electing him as President, urging continued collaboration “to serve our country and its aspirations under the wise leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist him, who leads Morocco with wisdom and insight towards broader horizons of progress and socio-economic prosperity, thereby solidifying a Moroccan renaissance that is open to the world, founded on a constitutional, democratic, and social monarchy deeply rooted in history.”
He described the re-election as another routine democratic exercise in a country of institutions and party pluralism, where both the opposition and the majority play crucial, albeit sometimes contrasting, roles essential for democracy.
The Speaker of the House emphasized that the second half of the 11th legislative term faces several challenges that require concerted efforts “from our position and within our constitutional and institutional competences…to perform them with the necessary professionalism that makes the institution contribute to the dynamics of reform and development.”
He stressed that the House of Representatives would continue to build on its legislative achievements and government oversight in various capacities, including public policy evaluation and other functions such as parliamentary diplomacy.
In this regard, he recalled the contents of the royal message addressed to participants in a national symposium held on January 17, 2024, to commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of the establishment of the first elected Moroccan Parliament.
Regarding the legislative agenda for the remainder of the term, Talbi Alami assured that it would be robust and requires “collective mobilization to meet the challenges of the reforms sponsored by His Majesty, including the revision of the Family Code, which reflects its importance, uniqueness, and the care it receives from His Majesty, the Commander of the Faithful.”
He noted that in Morocco, whether concerning this text or other societal issues, matters are facilitated within a framework of social, political, and institutional consensus, and in strict accordance with the Constitution.
Lastly, the Speaker commented on the volatile international context characterized by rapid geopolitical and economic changes, emphasizing the need for “mobilization and rallying behind His Majesty, may God assist him, to continue defending our legitimate rights and causes, foremost among them the issue of our territorial integrity.”
