فاس نيوز ميديا جريدة الكترونية جهوية تعنى بشؤون و أخبار جهة فاس مكناس – متجددة على مدار الساعة
A joint statement issued by trade union and professional bodies in the press and publishing sector reported that these organizations held a meeting on Monday afternoon, January 5, 2026, with the Secretary-General of the Popular Movement Party, Mohamed Ouzzine, at the party’s central headquarters in Rabat. The meeting was devoted to discussing recent developments related to Draft Law No. 25/26 on the reorganization of the National Press Council.
According to the statement, the meeting came after the government passed the draft law in the House of Councillors, in a context marked by the collective withdrawal of opposition groups from the voting session and the submission of a motion to the Presidency of the Council requesting the referral of the draft to the Constitutional Court.
The statement explained that the participating trade union and professional bodies reviewed, during the meeting, what they described as the advocacy process they have pursued since the draft was referred to Parliament. This process included the preparation of memoranda and correspondence, as well as meetings with relevant institutions, with the aim of pushing for the draft to be returned to the table of social dialogue in order to reach broader consensus on its content.
The same source indicated that these bodies had warned, through their correspondence and interventions, of what they consider constitutional and legal shortcomings affecting the text. The statement added that some of these remarks were confirmed in advisory opinions issued by both the Economic, Social and Environmental Council and the National Human Rights Council.
In the same context, the statement noted that the trade union and professional bodies commended what they described as the advocacy efforts carried out by opposition groups within Parliament, considering that these efforts sought to improve the legislative text and protect the principle of self-regulation of the press profession. They also expressed appreciation for the positions taken by the Popular Movement Party’s parliamentary groups in both the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors throughout the various stages of the draft’s discussion.
For his part, the statement quoted the Secretary-General of the Popular Movement Party as praising the dialogue initiative launched by the professional bodies and noting the party’s and its parliamentary group’s engagement with the proposals put forward by professionals and stakeholders in the press and publishing sector during the legislative process. According to the same source, he affirmed that this approach is consistent with the party’s political reference framework in support of rights and freedoms.
The statement further reported that Mohamed Ouzzine expressed his party’s surprise at the government’s rejection of all amendments submitted by the parliamentary opposition in the House of Councillors and the passage of the draft based solely on numerical majority, considering that this approach does not align with a participatory methodology in the drafting of legislation.
It also noted that the party’s Secretary-General viewed the opposition’s withdrawal from the voting session as a political stance reflecting its objection to the method used to pass the draft law. He stressed that the organization of the National Press Council, according to the statement, should be based on principles of independence, democracy, pluralism, and balance among the various components of the journalistic community.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the statement indicated that the Secretary-General of the Popular Movement Party expressed his party’s readiness to engage in all political and legislative initiatives related to this issue, calling for joint reconsideration of the roles of the press and publishing sector and its strategic missions, in a manner that respects the Constitution and international commitments related to freedom of opinion and expression.
Source: Fes News Media
