Benkirane unveils new government plan

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The Moroccan prime minister last week laid out the new government's key policy priorities. Speaking to parliamentarians, Abdelilah Benkirane vowed to promote moderate Islam, fight bigotry and strengthen inter-Maghreb ties.

"We are going to work to uphold the moderate religious line," Benkirane said on Thursday (January 19th).

The kingdom is committed to "the religion of tolerant Islam, constitutional monarchy, democracy and the defence of territorial integrity", he added.

The prime minister also stressed the importance of preserving the diversity of Moroccan identity, including Arab and Amazigh.

The government will continue to exert efforts in anti-terror fight and put effective resources in place to ward off any threat to its security, Benkirane said.

Through this speech, the Justice and Development Party (PJD) tried to reassure those who fear the Islamists' ascent to power, according to political analyst Magid Kassimi.

"Benkirane has set out the limits, making it clear that he will oppose any fanaticism," he explained.

On the socio-economic front, the goal is to reduce unemployment to 8% by 2016 and to achieve a growth rate of 5.5% over the next five years.

The government has also proposed a scheme for long-term unemployed graduates, offering them monthly grants for the duration of their training. The aim is to provide training for 50,000 youths a year.

Among other priorities are the fight against corruption and rent-based economy, promotion of good governance, accountability and improved business climate.

"The government will try to base its economic governance on transparency, efficiency and improve the business environment and fight speculation and monopoly situations by adopting several measures," Benkirane said.

The ultimate goal is to "build a strong, stable, supportive and prosperous society that ensures a dignified life for all its citizens", he added.

Opposition MPs, however, were sceptical about the unveiled socio-economic programme.

"Benkirane hasn't presented any concrete measures. It's just a declaration of intent," said Abdellatif Ouahbi, who chairs the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) group.

"We are opposed to a programme which has not been studied in detail," Ahmed Zaidi, the head of the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP) parliamentary group, said.

In terms of international relations, the primary focus will be on the Maghreb.

"We're convinced of the need to plough all possible resources into developing an innovative vision and adopting new approaches to deal with every aspect, looking to build a lasting and strategic partnership between the peoples of the five Maghreb countries," Benkirane announced.

The head of government promised to "strengthen the recent positive turn in relations between Morocco and Algeria, with the aim of opening up the land borders between the two brother countries".

The goal, he said, is to make the Maghreb union a strategic choice within a context of fraternity and mutual trust. The government hopes to create an economic block between the countries in the region to face up to the competition, globalisation and the economic crisis.

The recent developments in Tunisia and Libya will most certainly accelerate Maghreb integration, according to international relations analyst Moha El Malihi.

"The trend today is to listen to the voice of the people," El Malihi said. "Maghreb citizens aspire to the union. Their daily lives can only improve if there are greater economic ties between countries in the region."

This content was commissioned for Magharebia.com.