Address of Hon. Rachid Talbi El Alami upon His Election as Speaker of the House of Representatives

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful; and Peace and Prayer be Upon His Most Noble Messenger,

Esteemed colleagues,

Honorable Chairperson of the interim Board, Mr. Abdelouahed Radi,

Ladies and gentlemen,

I feel great joy to have obtained your confidence to be the Speaker of the House of Representatives at the onset of the Eleventh Legislative Term that inaugurates a new phase of democratic construction and institutional consolidation, and reflects the continuous development and rise of our country, as well as its emergence as an ascending power and a unique democratic model within its environment, under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist him, who is leading the Kingdom with wisdom and foresight towards the rank of age-old democracies, growth, prosperity, and social and spatial justice.

I am aware of the heavy responsibility I am honored to assume again at the Speakership of the House of Representatives. However, I stand certain that the high Royal solicitude for the good functioning of constitutional institutions and the preservation of the democratic choice remains a safeguard, a source of motivation, and a driving force to pursue the collective institutional mobilization behind His Majesty the King to address the internal and external challenges that our country faces and to win the stakes of the new era our country is entering.

We, ladies and gentlemen, are facing great tasks and bearing huge responsibilities that the voters have entrusted to us during the elections held on September 8, 2021, which were a decisive milestone in Morocco's political and institutional history. Thanks to the Royal commitment to the regular organization of elections and to renewing institutions in due time in alignment with the Constitution and the democratic traditions, the elections took place on September 8, produced a new majority and a new opposition, and enabled the accession of new elites to the elected institutions, foremost among which is the House of Representatives.

Our country has hence given a lesson to those who wish to know the reality and uniqueness of Morocco, especially when we consider the general context amidst which the elections, in all their categories, took place; a context marked by the propagation of COVID-19. The organization of six elections, out of which three were held in one day, amidst such circumstances, is an achievement only countries with strong entrenched institutions and States worthy of that title can achieve.

Esteemed colleagues,

We will have to perform our duties in a way that portrays the directives of His Majesty the King, may God glorify him, especially the ones included in the Royal speech that His Majesty gave yesterday, Friday, to the nation on the opening of the ongoing legislative session. We will have to work on the priorities defined by His Majesty, namely ensuring our strategic food security during and after the pandemic amidst the fierce international competition on staple foodstuffs and meeting the requirements of the post-pandemic economy and the exigencies of economic revival in terms of laws, measures, control, evaluation, and dialogue between the legislative and executive branches.

Accordingly, we will have to exercise our constitutional prerogatives of legislation, government control, and public policy evaluation, in addition to our functions in representing citizens and parliamentary diplomacy in a manner that amounts to the aspirations of citizens and entrenches the State of institutions. Certainly, the exercise of such prerogatives must revolve around the general national context, which today falls under a headline that is the implementation of the New Development Model, identified by His Majesty the King among the national priorities at the present stage, and on which His Majesty has ordered the elaboration of a concept, which was done following a methodology of inclusion, broad debate, and interaction between the Commission mandated by His Majesty the King for that purpose, the components of political and civil society, economic actors, elites, and workers representatives.

There is no doubt that we are all conscious of the legislative effort required from us to orient the implementation of this Model. We are also aware of its requirements relating to monitoring and evaluation, which is a focal point in the documents of the New Development Model, and of the necessity to accomplish the legislative agendas required by the economic and social dynamism, and to execute the institutional reforms defined by the Development Model, including the reform of the health sector, public institutions, the tax system, and education, taking into consideration that a major stage awaits us as of next week, namely the presentation by the Head of Government of the Government program and its discussion and vote, followed by the presentation and discussion of the Finance Bill.

At the level of external relations and parliamentary diplomacy, we need to value the achievements of Moroccan parliamentary diplomacy over the last decades and consolidate its significant presence and positive effect in the multilateral fora and its role in accompanying the national diplomacy led by His Majesty the King. In this respect, defending our territorial integrity will remain the utmost priority that the House of Representatives will focus on in its diplomatic action, supported by the Royal vision and its qualitative achievements in the different geopolitical spheres, mainly in Africa.

In relation to the central cause in our national diplomacy, we should be proud of the massive participation of our sisters and brothers in the Southern Provinces in the last elections, which shows their unity and commitment to their historically embedded Moroccanity.

Esteemed colleagues,

We will build our upcoming achievements on what has been accomplished in the House to invest in accumulation and to value the achievements of the former members of the House under the presidency of our friend and colleague, Professor Habib El Malki, to whom I extend praise for his presidency of the House and the achievements the latter made during his term in office.

Esteemed colleagues,

As of today, I am the Speaker of the House of Representatives with all its components, both those of the Opposition and the Majority, whether the ones who chose me to be the Speaker of the institution or those who had a different opinion that I respect. Therefore, rest assured that I will always ensure the rights of all, especially the rights of the Opposition, to whom the Constitution guarantees several rights, because I believe in the importance of difference and the necessity of institutional opposition, especially since it is composed of parties that share with the Majority the belonging to the same country and the equal belief in its imperative protection and advancement.

Esteemed colleagues,

The tasks to be accomplished, the challenges posed by the phase, the hopes given by the political dynamism we are experiencing, and the challenges that our country faces in the context of the pandemic and beyond, at the regional and international levels, require from us a collective mobilization, productive presence, fruitful dialogue, and active contribution to render the action of the House the subject of public appreciation. We must listen to society and communicate with its components, particularly the civil ones, as outlined in the Constitution with regard to participatory democracy, with a view to strengthening, enriching, and renewing institutional democracy.

May God grant us all success in achieving the well-being, development, progress, and strength of our country under the wise leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God glorify him, and in achieving what might drive us further to serve our country’s general interest in a way that bolsters the confidence of citizens in institutions and eases participation, social cohesion, and national unity, in order to consolidate our country's international positioning and its roots in history as a long-standing nation and a historically deep-rooted State.

Thank you for your keen attention.