During this session chaired by Rachid Talbi Alami, President of the House of Representatives, 117 deputies voted in favor of the proposed amendment, while two deputies abstained.
The adopted amendments, as approved by the Committee on Rules of Procedure, concern 27 articles, including seven relating to the application of the legal effect in light of the Constitutional Court’s decision No. 23/209, seven amended articles relating to various subjects and 13 articles relating to the Parliamentary Code of Ethics.
These texts have been amended taking into consideration the content of the Royal Message addressed to Parliament on January 17, 2024, on the occasion of the celebration of its 60th anniversary.
The majority of the amendments relating to the application of legal effect in light of the decision of the Constitutional Court aim to ensure the representation of the parliamentary opposition in the positions of accountant and secretary of the bureau of the House.
The amendment introduced to Article 54 thus stipulates that opposition groups present the names of their candidates for the position of accountant and/or secretary, and that only one opposition MP is eligible for one or the other or both.
With regard to proportional representation in the appointment of members of inquiry committees, the formula of Article 5 of the Organic Law on the operating procedures of parliamentary inquiry committees was adopted verbatim. The amendment thus provides that the members of inquiry committees are appointed by the Bureau of the Chamber, taking into account the principle of proportional representation of parliamentary groups and groupings, on the latter’s proposal.
As regards the nature of the relations between the standing committees and a number of constitutional bodies and institutions, the amendments provide that the prerogatives of these committees are limited to the study of the reports and opinions which they issue and of the annexed budgets presented by the government.
In the context of another amendment relating to compliance with the provisions of the organic law relating to the Finance Law concerning the scheduling of each meeting of the Finance Committee, the formula of the government’s initiative to request, exclusively, the convening of this type of meeting, was retained after the removal of the initiative of the committee’s office to convene such meetings, due to its incompatibility with the Constitution.
On the other hand, the amendments to the Parliamentary Code of Ethics focused on developing the necessary mechanisms to make the provisions of the Code binding, so as to moralise parliamentary life and consolidate trust in elected institutions.
In this context, the first amendment recalls the Code of Ethics as an integral part of the internal regulations of the House of Representatives, taking as a reference the content of the Royal Message on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the creation of the Moroccan Parliament.
Thus, the addition of a paragraph stipulating that “the Council establishes a Code of Ethics which forms an integral part of these internal regulations and which includes in particular the principles, duties and rules that all members must respect” was approved.
To ensure the implementation of this Code, an additional amendment provides that “at the beginning of each parliamentary term, the Bureau of the House of Representatives mandates four of its members, including two from the opposition, to form a committee within the Bureau”.
This commission “has the mission of monitoring the implementation of the Code of Ethics, in addition to carrying out a number of tasks, the most important of which is to investigate potential infractions committed by deputies (mentioned in the Code) and to inform the Bureau of the House of Representatives thereof.”
The Ethics Committee submits its recommendations on each situation brought to its attention to the Bureau of the House, which is responsible for monitoring and controlling compliance with the Code of Ethics. In addition, the Committee prepares an annual report on its activities, which it submits to the Bureau of the House.
Other new provisions made to the internal regulations set the objectives of the Code of Ethics with reference to the Royal Message of January 17, 2024. These objectives consist of raising the level of parliamentary work by giving priority to the higher interests of the country and citizens, as well as the moralization of parliamentary life.
The House of Representatives is thus called upon to play its full role in the dissemination of democratic values, the consolidation of the rule of law, the promotion of the culture of participation and dialogue and the strengthening of confidence in elected institutions.
On the other hand, the ethics obligations of members are specified, including “a clause on the declaration of any incompatibility with their function and a clause ordering them to declare gifts received during the exercise of their official functions and to deposit them in the House museum”.
In order to raise awareness of the importance of compliance with the Code of Ethics, the approved amendments provide that each member of the Council signs, at the beginning of the legislature, a declaration on honour form attesting to their knowledge of the provisions of the internal regulations, in particular those relating to the Code of Ethics.
The new structure of the Rules of Procedure of the House of Representatives, which now has 504 articles, has been expanded from 10 to 12 parts. It includes, in particular, the organs and structures of the House and their powers and the constitutional functions of the House of Representatives in matters of legislation, monitoring and evaluation of public policies.
This new structure also covers parliamentary diplomacy, communication and participatory democracy, the Chamber’s relations with constitutional institutions and the Parliamentary Code of Ethics.
2024-09-22 21:40:20