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It is now official: Abdelilah Benkirane will not run under the PJD banner in the September 23 legislative elections in his stronghold of Salé-Médina. The party’s General Secretariat has ultimately chosen to nominate Kamal El Kouchi in the constituency.
Benkirane had nevertheless been elected as an MP there five times, in 1999, 2002, 2007, 2011 and 2016. In 2011, the list he headed won three seats, before securing two in the 2016 vote.
«This withdrawal could be explained for two reasons. The first has to do with his age. At 72, Benkirane is no longer in a position to meet the demands of a parliamentary mandate as he did for years», a PJD member told Yabiladi on condition of anonymity.
«There is also the issue of the exceptional pension he receives after his five years at the head of government. If he were to win in the upcoming elections, he could lose that pension, estimated at 70,000 dirhams per month, in favor of the monthly allowances paid to an MP, estimated at 32,000 dirhams.»
For several weeks, speculation had been mounting over a possible Benkirane candidacy in the September 23 legislative elections, as the PJD’s General Secretariat continued to announce the Lamp party’s lead candidates.
