HIBAPRESS – Abdellatif Baraka
While most of the general secretaries of Moroccan political parties were present, and faces from the majority and opposition lined up in the front rows, the absence of Abdelilah Benkirane, the general secretary of the Justice and Development Party, was striking at the 12th National Congress of the Socialist Union of Popular Forces, held on Friday, October 17, 2025, in Bouznika.
Despite a source within the Socialist Union confirming that invitations were sent to all parties, including the Justice and Development Party, the absence was not a mere coincidence or a passing circumstance, but rather carries deep political implications in the context of the escalating tension between the two parties, since the Socialist Union's withdrawal from the parliamentary opposition coordination which aimed to overthrow the government through a motion of censure. The withdrawal was interpreted by the "PJD" as a stab in the back, and branded it as "suspicious behavior", after which a war of statements and accusations broke out between the two parties, the repercussions of which are still ongoing. In this context, Benkirane's absence can be understood as an unannounced message, confirming that the political wounds have not yet healed, and that previous rapprochement attempts did not rise to the level of actual reconciliation. Especially since the conference was an opportunity for political rapprochement, bringing together parties from various positions, including opponents from the first row such as Nabil Benabdallah and Mohamed Ouzzine. This absence is also read in light of the transformations taking place in the Moroccan opposition, after the rules of coordination were disrupted following the failure of the motion of censure initiative, which revealed the fragility of relations between its components, led by the Socialist Union and the Justice and Development Party. Benkirane, known for his symbolic stances and calculated presence, did not misjudge when he chose to be absent, perhaps to send a political message that says: "The dispute is still ongoing, and reconciliation is not on the horizon."
