House of Representatives Expresses Its Full Support for the Intervention of the Royal Armed Forces to Reinstate Security in Guergarate and Approves 2021 Draft Finance Bill by Majority of Votes
The House of Representatives approved by the majority of votes, on Friday, November 13th, 2020, the Draft Finance Bill 65.20 for the fiscal year 2021. The adoption took place in a plenary sitting chaired by Speaker of House of Representatives Habib El Malki with the participation of Minister of Economy, Finance, and Administration Reform Mohamed Benchaâboun and other Government members.
In his address at the start of the discussion of the Bill within plenary sittings, the Speaker of the House of Representatives noted that "the 2021 Draft Finance Bill comes amidst a peculiar context that our country and the world are undergoing and its repercussions on global economies." The Speaker lauded "the strong commitment that accompanied the management of the crisis since its emergence thanks to the enlightened vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, which maintained the level of aspirations of the numerous actors and opened new horizons for our country."
The approval by the House of Representatives of the 2021 Draft Finance Bill in a first reading comes to conclude its examination procedures. The Bill was first presented by the Minister of Economy, Finance, and Administration Reform in a plenary sitting, then examined and amended by standing committees before being discussed and voted on during the plenary sitting.
The standing committees convened 55 meetings equaling 198 work hours. 185 amendments were presented within the Finance and Economic Development Committee by the Government, the parliamentary groups and caucus, and the unaffiliated deputies. Forty-nine of those amendments were approved, and more than 40% of which came from the opposition.
The Finance and Economic Development Committee held ten meetings within seven days in a total of 54 work hours, while the other standing committees held meetings devoted to presenting, discussing, and examining the draft sub-budgets. The meetings were an opportunity to evaluate the sectoral Government programs and policies and to implement the provisions of the Organic Law on the Finance Act.
It should be noted that it is the first time in the history of the House of Representatives that the works of the standing committees on examining the draft finance bill have been broadcast live on the House’s portal and its social media pages. This action contributes to easing the citizens' access to the parliamentary work and consolidating the interaction of the deputies with their concerns and inquiries.
The Bill witnessed an in-depth parliamentary contribution, both during the general and detailed discussions, and at the level of proposing amendments. The deputies provided valuable contributions to improve the Bill and draw the Government's attention to several important issues that concern citizens, especially the ones regarding the solidarity contribution to create the necessary balance between the groups of natural and legal taxpayers.
The members of the House of Representatives called for universalizing health coverage, the reform of the educational system, the necessity to increase the purchasing power of citizens, fighting poverty, reinforcing Moroccan enterprises, creating job opportunities, overcoming the repercussions of COVID-19, assisting the affected sectors, reinforcing the economic, agricultural, social, cultural, and environmental fabric, and innovating solutions to ensure a national take-off on all levels and in all sectors.
The approved draft Finance Bill relies on three main directives that focus on accelerating the implementation of the plan to revive the national economy, launching the universalization of mandatory health coverage from January 2021, and establishing the bases for the exemplarity of the state and optimizing its governance. The 2021 Draft Finance Bill put several hypotheses on which it has formulated most of its articles. The hypotheses focus mainly on an expected agricultural crop amounting to seventy billion quintals, an average price of butane gas that amounts to $350/quintal. At the same time, it has set the assumed growth rate for next year at 4.8% and the expected budgetary deficit at 6.5% of the GDP.
At the end of the sitting, and following the recent developments in the buffer zone of Guergarate, located in the southern provinces of the Kingdom of Morocco, the chairpersons of the parliamentary groups and caucus presented statements where they expressed their absolute agreement with the firm and legitimate response undertaken by the Royal Armed Forces under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, the Supreme Commander and Chief of General Staff of the FAR, to defend the legitimacy and reinstate security and stability in the region.
The deputies affirmed their consensus behind the wise decisions of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, and their appraisal for the Royal Armed Forces, who have shown great and exceptional professionalism and acted courageously to put an end to the provocative actions of the foes of the territorial integrity of the Kingdom, lauding their commitment and dedication in defending the lands of the Kingdom and preserving its territorial integrity.
Additionally, the deputies highlighted that the intervention of the Royal Armed Forces to reinstate security in the Guergarate emanates from the imperative of protecting the national sovereignty and securing the smooth movement of citizens and international trade. They also confirmed that Morocco's commitment to restraint and patience is matched by its rejection of any provocative attempts to disrupt stability and create chaos in the region.