The political participation of Moroccans living abroad in their country of origin has been the focus of a conference organized by the Justice and Development Party (PJD) –section of France-, Saturday evening in Paris.
The conference, under the theme “The political participation of Moroccans abroad, what horizon?”, saw the participation of the PJD Secretary General, Abdelilah Benkirane, and other party officials, who put the emphasis on the need to complete the legal arsenal allowing the Moroccan community abroad to participate in national politics.
They also highlighted the expatriates’ skills which enable them to contribute significantly to the development of the kingdom, as well as their sense of patriotism and attachment to Morocco, noting that they want to participate more directly in the reform process and consecration of democracy in Morocco.
In this regard, Mr. Benkirane said the political participation of Moroccans living abroad has always been and remains among the claims of the PJD, especially regarding the representativeness of that class in Parliament, noting that the party, like other parties, developed a draft law in this direction and that this issue is the subject of a consensus on the part of many of the political actors.
He also noted that this political participation needs to go beyond mere representation in Parliament to achieve a real contribution to development and reform efforts undertaken by Morocco.
In the same sense, Abdelaziz Aftati, Parliamentary member of the PJD, said that the realization of the political participation of the Moroccan community abroad is part of the process of a democratic transition in Morocco, and is intended to strengthen the links between The MRE and their country of origin.
