HIBAPRESS – I. As-Smlali
The Justice and Development Party has chosen to open up to figures from outside its traditional organizational references, announcing the endorsement of Moroccan actress Fatima Ouchay to run in the upcoming legislative elections.
This decision, revealed by the party's Secretary-General, Abdelilah Benkirane, was not merely a passing electoral procedure, but carried clear political messages through which the party sought to break the stereotype associated with its closure to its internal cadres, where Benkirane described Fatima Ouchay as "a simple woman" whose values intersect with the party's identity, considering that some people's surprise at this nomination is not based on logical justifications as long as the common reference is the basis. On the organizational and field level, Fatima Ouchay will lead the party's regional list in the Casablanca-Settat region, which is one of the largest and most difficult electoral districts in the Kingdom, reflecting the party's bet on her artistic popularity in mobilizing electoral support. This nomination does not represent an isolated case, but falls within a broader recruitment strategy that also included names from the fields of media and writing, such as the case of journalist Samir Shawqi, which indicates the party's desire to diversify the profiles of its candidates to ensure a wider presence in the legislative institution.
