Morocco loses the presidency of the Pan-African Parliament to Algeria's candidate

Moroccan parliamentary advisor Lahcen Haddad, representing the Istiqlal Party, was unsuccessful in his bid for the presidency of the Pan-African Parliament during the election held on Thursday, the 30th, in Midrand, South Africa.

The election saw a decisive win for Algerian senator Fateh Boutbig, who secured 118 votes. This contest was exclusively for candidates from the North African bloc of the African Union.

The race also included Egyptian Cherif El Jabali and Libyan Youssef El Fakhiri, representing the Tobruk Parliament. El Fakhiri's candidacy was undermined by the ongoing divisions between Libya's eastern and western factions. A source in Midrand informed Yabiladi that some Libyans opted to back the Algerian candidate.

Algeria's triumph comes after a vigorous electoral campaign within the African Union and at the Pan-African Parliament headquarters.

On the Moroccan front, the strategy seemed inconsistent. Initially, a Sahrawi-origin deputy was considered before Lahcen Haddad's candidacy was finalized. Haddad, a former Minister of Tourism under Abdelilah Benkirane's government, was previously affiliated with the Popular Movement (MP).