Officially, Farid El Harfi of the Constitutional Union has been elected President of the Communal Council of the city of Jorf El Melha, running as the sole candidate under the Constitutional Union banner and receiving the unanimous support of the council's majority (26 members). This victory follows the decision of the Rabat Administrative Court to dismiss Mr. Abdelaziz Essadek, the former president of the Jorf El Melha communal council from the Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS).
This ruling resulted from an appeal filed by his own party, which accused Abdelaziz Essadek of abandoning the Party of Progress and Socialism—under which he had secured the municipality's presidency—and joining the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM). The appeal was backed by photos and videos showing the former mayor campaigning during the October 7, 2016 elections on behalf of a PAM candidate.
The Rabat Administrative Court ruling, issued in December 2016, was grounded in the provisions of Organic Law No. 113.14 on communes, specifically Article 51 (Chapter Three), pursuant to Article 20 of Organic Law No. 11.29 on political parties. This law stipulates the revocation of council membership for any elected official who abandons the political party under whose banner they were elected during their mandate.
According to Article 20 of the Political Parties Law, a member of either house of Parliament, local councils, or professional chambers cannot renounce affiliation with the political party under which they ran for election, under penalty of losing their mandate in said councils or chambers.
It is worth noting that Mr. Farid El Harfi is a member of the party's Political Bureau and a former Constitutional Union Member of Parliament. He is the son of Mr. Abderrahmane El Harfi, current Constitutional Union MP for the Sidi Kacem constituency.
