Speaker of House of Representatives Presides Ceremony to Appoint Jury of National Prize for Parliamentary Press

Speaker of House of Representatives Habib El Malki presided on Tuesday, May 11, 2021, a ceremony to appoint the National Prize for Parliamentary Press jury.

On this occasion, the Speaker of the House of Representatives noted that the launch of the first National Prize for Parliamentary Press for 2021 is part of implementing the provisions of the Rules of Procedure of the House of Representatives with a view to encourage and honor the Moroccan press talents and recognize their individual and collective efforts in contributing to advancing and publicizing parliamentary action, consolidating political participation, and entrenching the state of institutions.

The Speaker highlighted that the House of Representatives was keen during the ongoing legislature to consolidate its openness to media through a comprehensive strategic plan, as "communication has been a major axis of the House's action." He also affirmed that the legislative institution considers media people partners in parliamentary action. In the same respect, he stated, "We worked towards building bridges of trust and cooperation with them and adopted an approach of continuous and proactive communication. We also issued regular press releases following the meetings of the Board and the chairpersons of the parliamentary groups and caucus, the plenary sittings, and the various activities of the House at the legislation, control, diplomacy, and communication levels."

Mr. El Malki also shed light on the House's efforts in presenting the necessary clarifications and objective information to the press on some inaccurate news that are occasionally broadcast, through "press conferences, live encounters with media, and press releases to the public opinion whenever necessary."

Besides, the Speaker focused on the decision of the House to live broadcast, due to COVID-19, the works of the standing committees, with compliance to the provisions of the Rules of Procedure, on the official website of the House and the social networks, which “allowed journalists and those interested in parliamentary action to follow, for the first time, the in-depth debates, positions, and concerns of the majority and opposition groups composing the House within the legislative and control action of the committees.”

Mr. El Malki ended his address by hailing the members of the jury, who “need no introduction and have great expertise in the media and parliamentary fields in addition to a recognized expertise and intellectual integrity.”

For their part, the jury members lauded the initiative of the House of Representatives. The jury Chairperson Younes Mojahed noted, "The Parliament is an important space for journalism and one of the most important news sources. This initiative will contribute to advancing the means for dealing professionally with parliamentary work and is very much welcomed."

The jury members also highlighted that the role of media is essential in accompanying the development of our country in different areas, and the "recognition of the efforts of media people contributes to ensuring the right to information." They also stressed the importance of organizing regular workshops for journalists that are interested in parliamentary action.

The Prize jury comprises:

- Younes Moujahid, Chairman of the National Press Council,

- Mustapha El Khalfi, former minister,

- Fatiha Laâyadi, journalist and former member of the Parliament,

- Abdellatif Bensafia, Director of the Higher Institute of Information and Communication.