Driss Lachgar, first secretary of the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP), has called on the party’s National Council to approve participation in the next government. The council met in an extraordinary session on Saturday.
“We have opted for participation because we want a strong political government that responds to society’s aspirations,” Lachgar said, while stressing that the final decision rests with the National Council. The meeting, held at the USFP’s headquarters in Rabat’s Hay Riad district, brought together nearly all the party’s components. Socialist activists who spoke to Le360 expressed support for their leader’s position.
The option aligns with Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri’s intention to build a governing majority inspired by the experience of the Koutla coalition. Alongside the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), the proposed majority would include the Istiqlal Party, the USFP and the Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS).
The PPS, which holds 19 seats, the Democratic Forces Front (FFD), with two seats, and the Party of Neo-Democrats (PND), with one seat, formally announced on Saturday the creation of a joint parliamentary group.
The bloc could be strengthened by what the source describes as the “critical majority of the Constitutional Union (UC) and the Democratic and Social Movement (MDS),” without either party joining the executive. The Koutla experience brought together political parties with a “democratic and social” orientation in 1998, including the USFP, the PPS and other formations.
For Lachgar, the number of ministerial portfolios allocated to the USFP in the next government is secondary. “The number of ministries is not important. What matters, on the other hand, is responding to the nation’s call. The country needs strong political capacity to implement a common program. The USFP has always put the nation’s broader interests first,” he said.
Lachgar did not provide details about the composition of the next government, which is awaiting appointment, or the number of ministries his party might receive. He nevertheless said he favored a government with “a reduced number of ministries.”
The USFP leader also used his press conference to deny reports of internal opposition to his political line. “Contrary to what has been reported, the Salé office has not rebelled against me. Its members assured me that they remain loyal to our party organization. There is no truth to these reports,” he concluded.
