The recent ” decisions by the mayor of Rabat provoked the anger of the municipal councilors, but also of the citizens. Asmaa Rhlalou, President of the Capital City Council, has resorted to modifying the Council’s internal regulations, in a move that restricts the democratic rights of councillors.
Indeed, the mayor of Rabat resorted to the modification of articles 11 and 33 of the rules of procedure of the Council of the city, in order to limit the questions that the councilors address to her, while prohibiting the retransmission of the works of the sessions of the Council to the using audio-visual tools.
The modification made by the office of the council of Rabat to article 11 of the rules of procedure of the municipal council, which will probably be presented by the mayor to the Council for approval during the next session in February, stipulates that ” written questions are addressed to the Chairman of the Board through the team. The number of questions does not exceed three, while an unaffiliated member may ask written questions, provided the number does not exceed one question ».
According to the current version of Article 11 of the said regulation, ” the members of the council, individually or through the group to which they belong, can address written questions to the chairman of the council on any question of interest to the interests of the municipality ».
But not only ! The mayor of Rabat was not content to limit the number of questions from councilors addressed to her, she also introduced an amendment to article 33 of the internal regulations of the Council of Rabat, according to which ” it is forbidden to film or transmit directly by telephone or any other means, the meetings of the board, with the exception of the press approved by the board« .
The old version of the same article, approved by the previous council led by the PJD (Party of Justice and Development) states that it is possible ” to use audiovisual means to transmit, record and film the public deliberations of the council, on the initiative of the majority of the council members present, or at the request of the accredited media, following approval by the majority of the council members present. It is also possible to broadcast the public meetings of the Board directly on its website if the conditions for this are met.« .
Changes that created an outcry among the councilors of the capital. Omar El Hyani, municipal councilor for the Federation of the Democratic Left (FGD) in Rabat, described these amendments as “ dictatorship“, that the president of the Council of Rabat, with the executive office, seeks to impose on the members of the Council, by presenting to the vote during the next session of February, two articles, 11 and 33, which he described as “ strange ».
On his Facebook page, Omar El Hyani pointed out that the first amendment (Article 11) wants to limit the number of written questions asked by each group, which can include dozens of members, to only 3 questions during each ordinary session (that’s i.e. every 4 months).
« We are accustomed within the FGD, to ask between 10 and 15 written questions in each session which relate to various problems that the city is experiencing, including complaints that we receive from citizens regarding specific issues“, explained the adviser, imagining a parallel scene, in the House of Representatives, “ if it determines the number of written questions that a parliamentarian asks the government within the limit of one question per month« .
Regarding the second amendment, Omar El Hyani considered that it aims to prohibit the “filming” of Council meetings, with the exception of the press approved by the President of the Council, “including counselors who, for example, would like to record their personal interventions, or outrageous behavior such as that which occurred during the previous counseling”, during which “council furniture and dais were broken, in addition to repeated physical attacks on several councilors».
In this regard, the FGD adviser accused the mayor of Rabat, Asmaa Rhlalou, of seeking to “to muzzle the mouths and to block the last means available to the opposition to do its work within the Council, as guaranteed by the lawnoting that the Council office has repeatedly rejected requests from the opposition to include agenda items and requests for information, as was the case during the previous council.
Hespress Fr tried to reach the mayor of Rabat, Asmaa Rhlalou, concerning these ” accusations but she said she was in a meeting. His office promised an answer that ultimately did not come.
To be continued…
