2 Moroccan Opposition Parties Call for Reforming Electoral Law

A general view of Cadablanca, Morocco. (AFP)
A general view of Cadablanca, Morocco. (AFP)
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2 Moroccan Opposition Parties Call for Reforming Electoral Law

A general view of Cadablanca, Morocco. (AFP)
A general view of Cadablanca, Morocco. (AFP)

Two major opposition parties urged Moroccan Prime Minister Saadeddine Othmani to launch political and electoral reforms that could lead to a political breakthrough in the country.

The Istiqlal and Progress and Socialism parties, which are reportedly close to forming an alliance, met on Tuesday in a meeting chaired by leaders Nizar Baraka and Nabil Benabdallah. The meeting reviewed the current political situation and future challenges facing democracy, read a joint statement.

Asharq Al-Awsat received a copy of the statement that said the meeting was held as part of the joint historic struggle for independence, defending territorial integrity and establishing a modern national democratic state based on social justice.

The parties addressed the negative repercussions of the country's political crisis, which resulted mainly from several structural and functional imbalances, embodied in the decline in trust in political action and elected national institutions.

They also discussed the challenges confronting democratic development in Morocco, the prospects for the next stage and the necessary implementation of the democratic choice that was approved by the 2011 constitutional document.

The two parties renewed their call on the Prime Minister to launch political and electoral reform workshops as part of dialogue and consultation with various political parties. They also stressed the importance of establishing other reforms that would consolidate democracy in the country.

They believe this will pave the way to develop a new political and social contract, which will serve as the critical entry point for establishing the new developmental model.



Sudanese Stakeholders Hold Roundtable Talks in Geneva

A previous meeting of the coordination of Tagadum with the officials of the African Mechanism in Addis Ababa. (Tagadum on Facebook)
A previous meeting of the coordination of Tagadum with the officials of the African Mechanism in Addis Ababa. (Tagadum on Facebook)
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Sudanese Stakeholders Hold Roundtable Talks in Geneva

A previous meeting of the coordination of Tagadum with the officials of the African Mechanism in Addis Ababa. (Tagadum on Facebook)
A previous meeting of the coordination of Tagadum with the officials of the African Mechanism in Addis Ababa. (Tagadum on Facebook)

Geneva has hosted a third “roundtable” of meetings involving Sudanese political and civil groups aimed at bridging the gap between the country’s warring parties. These talks, coordinated by the French organization Promediation, follow similar meetings held previously in Cairo and Geneva. The primary goals are to negotiate a ceasefire and facilitate humanitarian aid to civilians.

The two-day meetings, which began on Monday, include representatives from the Coordination of Democratic Civil Forces (Tagadum), the pro-army Democratic Bloc coalition, and armed movements aligned with the bloc. However, some groups have announced their boycott of the meetings.

The Democratic Bloc has shown conflicting stances on attending the Geneva talks. Mohammed Zakaria, spokesperson for the bloc and a member of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), announced his group’s decision not to participate.

Omar Khalafallah, a leader in the Democratic Unionist Party and another bloc spokesperson, refuted Zakaria’s statement, insisting that the bloc would attend the meetings to promote a national vision.

A source within the Democratic Bloc told Asharq Al-Awsat that the meetings revealed significant internal divisions in the coalition. The JEM, led by current Finance Minister Jibril Ibrahim, appears to be charting its own course, which the source described as a form of defection.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Sharif Mohammed Osman, a leader in Tagadum and the political secretary of the Sudanese Congress Party, explained that the meetings seek to achieve consensus on ending the war through negotiated solutions, starting with a humanitarian truce to ensure aid delivery and the opening of safe corridors.

These measures are considered preliminary steps toward a ceasefire and a peaceful resolution to the conflict, he underlined.

A wide array of civilian leaders are participating in the talks, including key figures from Tagadum, such as Sudanese Congress Party leader Omar Al-Dukair, Federal Gathering Party leader Babiker Faisal, and head of the Sudan Liberation Movement – Transitional Council Al-Hadi Idris.

Osman expressed optimism that the participants would issue a unified final statement addressing the peaceful resolution of the war and agreeing on a humanitarian truce to facilitate aid delivery.

In October, Cairo hosted a similar meeting, which resulted in a final statement signed by the participating groups, except for the Sudan Liberation Movement – Minni Minnawi faction and the JEM – Jibril Ibrahim faction, which refused to endorse the Cairo declaration despite attending the discussions.

Promediation, a French organization supported by the French and Swiss foreign ministries, has played a consistent role in Sudanese affairs. Since June 2022, it has organized roundtable discussions, initially focusing on negotiations between Darfuri armed movements before expanding its scope to include Sudanese political and civil forces in the wake of the war.