Moroccan party official tasked with forming new govt

By Anas Mezwar

RABAT, Morocco

Moroccan King Mohammed VI on Friday tasked Saadeddine al-Othmani, a leading member of the Justice and Development Party (JDP), with drawing up a new government.

The king received al-Othmani at Casablanca’s royal palace, where he formally appointed him acting head of government and tasked him with forming a new cabinet lineup, according to a statement issued by Morocco’s Ministry of Royal Household and Protocol.

Al-Othmani, who replaces Abdelilah Benkirane as acting head of government, served as foreign minister in a previous cabinet before being relieved of his post in a cabinet reshuffle.

Benkirane was tasked with forming a coalition government following the JDP's victory in October parliamentary polls. Five months of consultations with other parties, however, failed to produce a workable agreement.

According to an earlier statement, the king decided to replace Benkirane “in order to break the current deadlock”.