After two years of waiting, the Committee on Justice, Legislation, and Human Rights at the House of Representatives began, on Tuesday, examining a bill proposal submitted in April 2023 by the PJD parliamentary group. This legislative initiative aims to prohibit dual nationals from serving as ministers. To achieve this, the Islamists are calling for an amendment to Organic Law No. 065-13 concerning the organization and conduct of government work and the status of its members, adopted under the executive led by Abdelilah Benkirane. During the presentation of the bill to the Justice Committee, PJD deputy Abdessamad Haiker stated: «Government members must hold exclusive Moroccan citizenship, without dual nationality. Moroccans deserve a fully Moroccan government, and we believe that anyone who does not meet this condition does not deserve to be part of the Moroccan government». This desire to block dual nationals from accessing government positions has ruffled feathers within the PJD itself, including among members such as Omar El Mourabet, a former National Council member residing in France. «The Justice and Development Party is making a grave mistake against Moroccans worldwide, under flimsy pretexts—notably the fact that some ministers of the current majority hold foreign nationalities», he wrote in a Facebook post. «I had already discussed with Abdelilah Benkirane this bill aimed at preventing and depriving Moroccans abroad from accessing positions of responsibility. He told me that this matter was nothing but political posturing, targeting the former Minister of Higher Education (Abdellatif Miraoui, ed.)». — Omar El Mourabet In March 2021, while leading the government under Saadeddine El Othmani, the PJD voted against an amendment presented by the Istiqlal Party that would have allowed Moroccans residing abroad to participate directly in the legislative elections of September 8, 2021. Alongside the PJD, the PAM, the RNI, the USFP, and the MP also rejected the political participation of Moroccans abroad. Nevertheless, the PJD enjoyed significant popularity among Moroccans living overseas, with very active branches in many European countries.
