Could Morocco’s football chief Fouzi Lekjaa become its next prime minister?

Rabat, Morocco – As Morocco prepares for parliamentary elections connected September 23, governmental statement is centred little connected ideology and enactment programmes than connected the determination of 1 of the country’s astir influential nationalist officials to participate partisan politics.

The determination by Fouzi Lekjaa, Morocco’s curate delegate for the fund and president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), to articulation the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) has prompted aggravated statement crossed the governmental people and societal media.

Best known for his relation successful nationalist concern and the translation of Moroccan football, Lekjaa built his estimation successful nationalist medication alternatively than electoral politics.

His determination represents much than a elemental enactment affiliation. It reflects a broader displacement successful Moroccan politics, wherever managerial competence, state-led improvement and nationalist prestige are becoming progressively important sources of governmental legitimacy.

Mustafa Ahdar, a researcher successful law instrumentality and governmental subject astatine Ibn Zohr University successful Agadir, told Al Jazeera that Lekjaa joined PAM little than 3 months earlier the elections, making the timing politically significant.

“From a law perspective, each Moroccan national is escaped to articulation immoderate governmental enactment nether the 2011 Constitution,” Ahdar said, noting that erstwhile PAM secretary-general Abdellatif Ouahbi has publically reaffirmed this principle.

“However, idiosyncratic who simultaneously heads the nationalist shot federation and occupies a elder ministerial presumption cannot realistically beryllium viewed successful the aforesaid mode arsenic an mean national entering politics.”

The timing matters for different reason: the authorities formed aft the predetermination volition oversee Morocco’s preparations for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which it volition cohost with Spain and Portugal.

With billions expected to beryllium invested successful infrastructure, transport and tourism, commentators person progressively described the adjacent medication arsenic Morocco’s “World Cup government”, 1 apt to beryllium judged arsenic overmuch by its quality to present the tourney arsenic by accepted economical indicators.

From enactment authorities to show politics

Lekjaa’s emergence reflects a broader inclination successful Morocco and beyond, wherever palmy nationalist officials are progressively becoming governmental assets successful their ain right.

As fund minister, helium became intimately associated with large infrastructure and concern projects portion emerging arsenic a cardinal fig successful Morocco’s shot renaissance.

The Atlas Lions’ historical tally to the semifinals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup transformed Morocco’s planetary image, strengthened its brushed powerfulness crossed Africa and the Arab world, and made shot a awesome of nationalist ambition and organization effectiveness.

For Ahdar, however, the inclination raises deeper questions astir the relation of governmental parties.

“Political parties are expected to make spaces wherever citizens go politically engaged and aboriginal leaders emerge,” helium said. “When parties progressively enlistee influential personalities who person built their popularity extracurricular politics, they hazard abandoning that mission.”

A changing electorate

Morocco’s governmental improvement besides reflects changing elector behaviour.

Turnout exceeded 50 percent successful the 2021 parliamentary elections, yet astir fractional of eligible voters inactive abstained.

Many analysts reason that this reflects scepticism towards governmental parties alternatively than a deficiency of governmental interest, peculiarly among younger Moroccans, who progressively explicit their concerns done societal media activism and protests implicit unemployment, rising surviving costs and nationalist services.

According to Ahdar, the statement surrounding Lekjaa illustrates this shift.

“PAM is portion of the existent governing conjugation and faces disapproval implicit its governmental record,” helium said. “Yet the statement contiguous is centred acold much connected Lekjaa’s accomplishment than connected the party’s governmental programme oregon achievements.”

He noted that immoderate societal media users had adjacent joked that “Lekjaa attracted PAM alternatively than PAM attracting Lekjaa”, reflecting what helium described arsenic the increasing personification of politics.

Morocco’s law framework

Morocco’s 2011 Constitution expanded the powers of parliament portion maintaining the monarchy’s cardinal relation successful authorities formation. Under Article 47, the king appoints the caput of authorities from the enactment winning the largest fig of parliamentary seats.

Morocco’s proportional electoral strategy astir ever produces conjugation governments, making post-election negotiations astir arsenic important arsenic the ballot itself.

Speculation implicit Lekjaa’s aboriginal governmental relation has intensified, contempt nary authoritative denotation that helium is being considered for caput of government.

Ahdar besides sees parallels with Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch, who entered partisan authorities aft establishing himself extracurricular accepted enactment structures.

“This inevitably raises questions astir interior enactment democracy,” helium said. “Many enactment activists walk years progressing done enactment ranks, portion outsiders sometimes scope elder positions precise quickly.”

He added that observers volition people inquire whether specified moves bespeak genuine governmental condemnation oregon chiefly pragmatic governmental calculation.

The PAM factor

Founded successful 2008, PAM presents itself arsenic a modernising governmental unit focused connected organization reform, determination improvement and economical modernisation. The enactment has besides faced corruption and abuse-of-office controversies involving immoderate of its elected officials.

For PAM, recruiting a fig associated with effectual governance and shot occurrence whitethorn reenforce its representation arsenic a enactment of competence portion helping displacement attraction from disapproval of the governing coalition’s economical record.

Between legitimacy and expectations

Administrative competence tin fortify governmental credibility, but governing requires much than managerial efficiency. Morocco continues to look large challenges, including unemployment, education, healthcare, determination inequalities and rising surviving costs.

Nouh El Harmouzi, caput of the Arab Center for Research, believes Lekjaa’s administrative illustration nevertheless explains the attraction surrounding his governmental move.

“Few elder officials harvester his acquisition successful nationalist finance, organization absorption and strategical planning,” helium told Al Jazeera.

“The adjacent authorities volition look tremendous budgetary pressures alongside increasing geopolitical and economical risks portion simultaneously delivering 1 of the largest projects successful Morocco’s modern history: the 2030 World Cup.”

Beyond Lekjaa

The statement has besides attracted attraction among Moroccans abroad.

Touria Guerraoui, a Moroccan-French exertion expert, said the diaspora has followed Lekjaa’s governmental determination with peculiar involvement due to the fact that of his popularity done football.

“Many Moroccans surviving overseas intimately followed the nationalist team’s achievements and consciousness connected to that success,” she told Al Jazeera. “His determination to articulation PAM has made galore successful the diaspora much attentive to this election.”

She argued that Morocco is not unsocial successful seeing influential elder authorities officials participate politics, pointing to French President Emmanuel Macron, who entered nationalist authorities aft a vocation successful the backstage assemblage and nationalist administration.

“A ample portion of Morocco’s shot squad comes from the diaspora, and their achievements person generated tremendous pride,” she said. “But galore radical are present asking whether the effectiveness demonstrated successful shot medication tin besides beryllium translated into the economical and societal advancement that Moroccans expect.”