Rahhou joined the government led by Fatima-Ezzahra El Mansouri, leaving a vacancy at the head of an institution responsible for tackling anticompetitive practices, reviewing economic concentrations and overseeing competition in Moroccan markets. His departure does not, however, mean the Council’s work must come to a halt.
Article 9 of the Council’s rules of procedure sets out how the institution should be managed when the presidency becomes vacant. The vice president who has held the position the longest takes over on an interim basis. If two or more vice presidents have equal seniority, the oldest among them takes priority.
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The Council has four vice presidents: Hassan Abouabdelmajid, Abdelaziz Talbi, Chaimae Abbou and Adil Boukbir. Under the seniority rule, Abouabdelmajid is expected to assume the interim presidency.
The rules distinguish a vacancy from a temporary absence or inability to perform the president’s duties. In the latter case, the sitting president appoints a vice president to stand in. When the position is vacant, the seniority rule applies automatically. The interim arrangement does not amount to a permanent appointment.
The immediate priority is to keep the Council’s various bodies functioning. Its rules of procedure provide for a plenary college, a permanent commission and sections, each with responsibilities ranging from reviewing contentious cases and examining economic concentrations to issuing opinions and preparing sector-specific studies.
The permanent commission, made up of the president and the four vice presidents, helps assess the admissibility of contentious cases and handles certain decisions concerning economic concentrations. The college considers cases within its remit, proposed concentrations submitted for review and the Council’s annual report. The sections examine the files assigned to them under the applicable rules.
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The vacancy therefore does not remove the Council’s statutory powers. The interim mechanism is designed to allow it to continue carrying out its duties until a new president takes office.
Successor to be appointed by royal dahir
The appointment of Rahhou’s successor is governed by Article 10 of Law No. 20-13 on the Competition Council. The president is appointed by royal dahir for a five-year term, renewable once.
