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Monday’s oral question session on December 1st in the House of Representatives was marked by an unusual incident: the expulsion of PJD MP Abdessamad Haiker, following an order from the session’s presiding officer. The clash began after the Minister of Justice responded to a question from the RNI group about the draft law regulating the profession of adouls.
Abdellatif Ouahbi explained that the bill, recently approved by the government, had been submitted to the Justice Committee, adding that he would clarify several points raised by MPs. His response satisfied both the author of the question and the USFP group.
However, a PJD MP delivered a sharply contrasting view, describing the draft law as «a coup against the results of the dialogue, lacking guarantees, undermining hard-won achievements, diminishing the role of the adouls, and creating unjustified discrimination between professions».
Ouahbi, reacting to the tone of the intervention, remarked that the MP seemed to be reading «a communiqué of a revolutionary council», rather than a comment on the bill. This provoked an immediate and heated reaction from Abdessamad Haiker, who denounced the minister’s comments and demanded that he «respect the deputies» and «provide answers». The exchange quickly escalated.
The session president’s actions fuel further tension
Relations between Ouahbi, once close to Abdelilah Benkirane, and PJD MPs have deteriorated sharply, especially since his proposal to revise the Family Code. After granting Haiker two speaking turns and giving the floor once to his colleague Mustapha Ibrahimi, session president Idriss Chtaibi (USFP) attempted to end the exchange by denying Haiker a third intervention and ordering him to remain silent. Haiker refused and continued speaking despite having his microphone cut off.
Chtaibi issued three warnings, as permitted under parliamentary rules, but Haiker still refused to comply. The session president then called on security officers to expel the PJD MP from the chamber.
The USFP and Istiqlal groups immediately requested a five-minute suspension to calm the situation, an appeal Chtaibi accepted, though he insisted on using the term «suspension» rather than «adjournment». His insistence only heightened the tensions, at one point prompting him to describe the PJD Islamists as «Marxists on the Sunna of the Prophet and of God».
Monday’s dramatic episode was not the only moment of tension during the session. Earlier, Chtaibi had expressed surprise that several ministers were absent from Parliament while attending a meeting in Sefrou, the constituency he represents. The PAM had organized a gathering there on Saturday. His comments sparked anger from the PAM parliamentary group and nearly led to the interruption of the session.
