According to the provisions of Organic Law No. 113.14, Younes Tazi, wali of the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, is expected to transfer Laymouri’s powers to his deputy on Wednesday, October 28.
The situation could lead to a new mayoral election in the second week of April 2027 if Laymouri remains in detention and under prosecution before the Tangier Court of Appeal over the alleged forged-election-papers case.
Laymouri has been detained in connection with the case involving an alleged “bag of forged electoral papers.” He was arrested after returning to Morocco on Monday, September 28, at Tangier Ibn Battouta International Airport.
Article 109 of Organic Law No. 113.14 provides that when a council president is absent or unable to perform his duties for more than one month, one of the vice-presidents temporarily assumes all of the president’s powers, according to the order of succession.
In Tangier, this role would fall to Mohamed Ghilane, the second deputy mayor and a member of the National Rally of Independents (RNI). He would take over management of the municipality after Laymouri has been absent for 30 days.
Read also : PAM freezes Tangier mayor Laymouri’s membership after detention in election case
What the law says
Under Article 20 of Organic Law No. 113.14, a municipal council president is considered to have ceased exercising his functions in several situations, including detention for more than six months and a final conviction resulting in ineligibility.
Article 21 provides that when a council president ceases to exercise his functions for one of the grounds listed in paragraphs 1 to 6 or paragraph 8 of Article 20, he is considered removed from office and the executive office is dissolved by operation of law.
The council must then be convened to elect a new president and the remaining members of the executive office within 15 days of the governor formally establishing the cessation of the president’s functions.
For Laymouri, this means that the continuation of his detention beyond six months could trigger the procedure for replacing him, provided the legal conditions are formally established.
