Audit requests stir Morocco's Interior Ministry

Requests for audits of local authorities have prompted action from the central Interior Ministry in Morocco. Councilors from various regions, particularly Casablanca-Settat and Rabat-Salé-Kénitra, have submitted petitions to provincial governors. These petitions call for urgent meetings and extraordinary sessions to discuss what they describe as "serious irregularities" in the management of several territorial communities.

The councilors are demanding thorough audits of administrative and financial management, as well as the oversight of vital communal facilities. They urge governors to use their legal powers to ensure good governance, protect public funds, and hold officials accountable. The petitions specifically request that issues of mismanagement be the sole agenda item for these extraordinary sessions, ensuring detailed and independent discussions.

Key areas targeted for audit include the management of public contracts, project planning, the utilization of communal properties, and the execution of council decisions. Concerns have also been raised about the adherence to competition and transparency rules in various management processes that have caused disputes within councils recently. The councilors justify this move as a necessary mechanism for oversight, especially given stalled projects and delays in implementing council decisions.

This push for audits coincides with escalating political polarization between majority and opposition factions. Both sides appear to be using local governance issues to bolster their public image and appeal to voters ahead of the upcoming legislative elections. The audit requests have thus taken on a clear electoral dimension, becoming a tool in the political power struggles within many local authorities, as parties exchange accusations over recorded irregularities during the current term.