Speaker of House of Representatives Holds Meeting with Chairpersons of Parliamentary Groups and Caucus on Monday, November 23rd, 2020

Speaker of House of Representatives Habib El Malki held a meeting with the chairpersons of the parliamentary groups and caucus on Monday, November 23^rd, 2020. The meeting was devoted to control, legislation, and the House’s work program.

Concerning control, the meeting tackled the monthly plenary sitting for questions on general policy and have agreed on setting “development programs in southern provinces” as its main topic. The House components seized this opportunity to reiterate their mobilization marked with national consensus and commended the wise decisions taken by Morocco under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI may God glorify him. The participants stressed the importance of this development program as it is a structuring project that includes several sectors and was allocated significant human and financial resources.

As for the program of weekly control, the participants have agreed, in wait for presenting the matter before the House's Board for a final decision, on including the departments of interior, agriculture, and national education in the sitting that will be held on December 7^th, 2020, while the departments of foreign affairs and African cooperation, trade, industry, green and digital economy, equipment, transportation, logistics, and water will be tackled in the sitting of December 14^th, 2020.

The meeting also discussed the management of weekly sittings for more interaction between the House and the Government through comments and additional comments.

Besides, the participants affirmed the significance of the topics proposed by the parliamentary groups and caucus under Article 152 of the Rules of Procedure, topics that the House components consider an additional value to control that needs more attention from the Government.

About legislative sittings, the participants have agreed on including the 2018 Liquidation Bill in one of the future sittings.

Regarding participatory democracy, the chairpersons of the parliamentary groups and caucus reviewed two parliamentary organic bills on the conditions and modalities for exercising the right to petition public authorities and the right to submit motions on legislation drafted by the Petitions Committee following the recommendations of the seminar organized by the House of Representatives and the growing demands of the several actors and contributors to implementing this important democratic project.

In this respect, the Speaker of the House stressed the importance of these bills and presented to the House components the measures taken by the Speakership in coordination with the Head of Government and the Minister of State in Charge of Human Rights and the Relations with the Parliament to create a joint Parliament-Government committee to agree on a joint draft that enjoys consensus.

Regarding the preventive measures accompanying the coronavirus pandemic, the House’s Speaker affirmed the daily concern that has been characterizing this pandemic’s management. In this respect, the participants presented all the information regarding the complete disinfection of the hemicycle, the Committee meeting rooms and offices, following up the positive cases and contacts, and other precautionary administrative measures.

As part of pursuing these efforts, the participants have agreed on elaborating a comprehensive preventive program in coordination with the Ministry of Health.