She didn't last through half of her six-year term. Rabat's first female mayor, Asmaa Rhlalou, handed in her letter of resignation on Wednesday, February 28, less than 30 months after her election in September 2021. "Given the tensions that the mayor's office has experienced in recent months, I ask you to accept my resignation (...) and prioritize the interests of the city and its residents," she explained in a terse letter addressed to the region's Wilaya. This is "unprecedented" in the Moroccan capital's recent history, according to several council members.
Disagreements between the former mayor – a member of the National Rally of Independents (RNI), the party currently leading the government majority – and the town's 80 or so council members had been mounting for over two years. "If she hadn't resigned, the council would have called for her removal mid-term, in September 2024, as provided for by law," said El Hassan Lachguar, himself a former mayoral candidate for Rabat in the last elections under the banner of the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP).
Grievances against the former mayor began to surface just a few days after she took office, "when she appointed her husband as the city's lawyer," noted council member Omar El-Hyani, of the Federation of the Democratic Left (FGD). A document from her husband's office, in which he was presented as an "adviser to the Rabat municipality," had leaked on social media, but Rhlalou denied any nepotism.
After that, her relationship with the opposition only worsened. Changes to the council's rules of procedure were particularly singled out for criticism. Among the measures denounced were a ceiling on the number of written questions during council sessions and a ban on filming sessions. "The administrative court threw out these two decisions in December 2023," explained El-Hyani.
'She couldn't get anything passed anymore'
More broadly, the elected representatives criticized Rhlalou's governance for its "lack of consultation" and "unilateral" decision-making. Unusually, her relationship with the wali, who represents the king's authority in the region, was deemed "appalling," according to several sources. Such was the discontent that even her majority on the local council stopped supporting her, leading to an unprecedented deadlock. "She couldn't get anything passed anymore," said council member Houda Lakhchine, a member of the RNI.
In an attempt to defuse the crisis, the party leader and Prime Minister, Aziz Akhannouch, intervened in person at a party meeting two months ago. "He called for change, but didn't manage to convince the mayor," said Lakhchine.
Ultimately, a request from the Ministry of Interior ended the hostilities. In a letter sent to Rhlalou on February 21, the wilaya demanded an explanation for an expenditure of 10 million dirhams (some €900,000), which she had paid into the special fund set up following the earthquake that had struck the Marrakech region in September 2023. This sum had been taken directly from the city budget, but without the council's approval, as its members had pointed out. "She had 10 days to respond," said El-Hyani, "but as she was unable to provide satisfactory explanations, she opted to avoid humiliation and leave."
Contacted by Le Monde, Rhlalou did not respond to our requests. Following her resignation, a 15-day period is still needed to validate her departure, but the negotiations for her succession are underway. The only certainty is that her replacement will be a majority party member. Candidates have not yet been designated, but some 30 council members from the RNI, the Authenticity and Modernity Party, and the Istiqlal Party are legally qualified for the council presidency.
The name of the person who will be Rabat's next mayor is eagerly awaited as it could change the gender parity of mayors at the head of Morocco's six largest communes. Until now, three of these have been headed by women; today, only Casablanca and Marrakech remain. Will the balance be maintained? "We'll have the answer in less than a month," said Lakhchine, who has declared her candidacy.