Rabat – The National Rally of Independents (RNI), the main party of Morocco’s government coalition, has confirmed Mohamed Chaouki as the only candidate for the party’s presidency.
RNI’s political bureau announced the news today following a meeting at its headquarters in Rabat. Aziz Akhannouch, the current leader of the party and Morocco’s Head of Government, chaired the meeting that sought to address several issues, including a review of the current political, social, and economic situation.
“In accordance with the provisions of the party’s statutes and internal regulations, and following the end of the period for submitting candidacies for the party’s presidency, the political bureau received the candidacy of Mohamed Chaouki,” reads RNI’s statement.
The political bureau emphasized that it reviewed Chaoui’s candidacy and decided to refer it to the party’s extraordinary congress in El Jadida, which is scheduled to take place on February 7, the statement concluded.
Earlier this month, Akhannouch emphasized that he would not stand for reelection as RNI leader at the party’s upcoming national congress ahead of Morocco’s coming general elections.
The news put an end to speculation about whether the billionaire-turned politician would be seeking another mandate at the end of his current tenure. He described his decision as the result of a long-held conviction rather than a sudden choice, stressing that he has always opposed unlimited leadership mandates.
While bids for the soon-to-be vacant leadership position were open from January 12 to January 21, today’s statement means Chaouki has likely overwhelmingly established himself as Annouch’s logical replacement at the helm of the party as it prepares for this year’s general elections.
Earlier this month, Minister of Interior Abdelouafi Laftit said the provisional number of registered votes on the national electoral lists reached about 16.5 million during the current stage of the annual update process.
54% of registered voters are men and 46% are women, the minister said, adding that around 55% live in urban areas while 45% are in rural parts of the country.
Authorities recorded 382,170 new registrations during this year’s revision of the electoral lists. Of those, 254,740 were submitted online using the official voter registration platform, and 127,430 were filed in writing at local administrative offices.
Laftit also noted that the cleanup process removed about 1.4 million entries from the lists for legal reasons.
