Abdelilah Benkirane, the Secretary-General of the Justice and Development Party, condemned the actions of the governor of the Guelmim-Oued Noun region towards one of the party's elected officials, considering what happened to be unacceptable behavior that undermines the respect due between state representatives and local elected officials.
Benkirane's statements came after the spread of a video clip showing the governor of the region refusing to shake hands with Abdellah An-Najami, the second vice-president of the Guelmim municipality, during an official ceremony, which sparked a wave of resentment among the party's activists. Benkirane questioned the background of this action, saying: "If the governor intended to insult An-Najami, then this is wrong," calling on the Minister of Interior to intervene to correct the situation. He added: "If the governor does not like the Justice and Development Party, that's his business and his right, but respect is obligatory in all cases." Benkirane recalled a similar incident that occurred earlier when the late Abdellah Baha was subjected to inappropriate behavior by one of the officials, before King Mohammed VI intervened to put an end to that behavior. The Justice and Development Party had issued an official statement condemning what it described as "abusive and unacceptable treatment" that the second vice-president of the Guelmim municipality was subjected to, stressing that it expects the Ministry of Interior to take the necessary measures to preserve the dignity of the elected officials.
