Statement of the Political Bureau of the Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS)

• Solidarity with the legitimate youth demands peacefully expressed.
• Call for a dialogue and containment approach, avoiding violent handling.
• Absolute rejection of all forms of vandalism and assault on security forces.
• The message has been received; the risk of uncontrolled escalation requires avoiding the continuation of protests in violent forms to safeguard the public interest.
• Necessity to change the course of public policies to achieve dignity and justice.
• Need to elevate political action and strengthen democratic practice and social mediation mechanisms.

The Political Bureau of the Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS) convened to discuss the recent youth protests and the expressed legitimate demands. These youth demonstrations, which took place in several cities in our country, aimed at demanding fundamental reforms in education and health, providing employment opportunities, and fighting against corruption.

These legitimate demands require the adoption of strong, necessary measures for their resolution, and the PPS, like many other social forces and civil society actors, had previously warned the Government about these pressing concerns and the alarming situation they reveal. For four years, the Party has warned against the existence of deep structural imbalances at various levels, particularly within public services, mainly health, education, and employment.

Regrettably, instead of responding to these appeals and warnings and actively seeking to meet the aspirations of the youth and broad segments of the Moroccan population, the Government has stubbornly insisted on denying the vast chasm between its commitments and its repeated failures in reality. Furthermore, the Government has, unfortunately, dealt with these difficult and troubling situations with contempt, denial, and disregard, adopting a deaf ear, expressing excessive self-satisfaction, and keeping an attitude of arrogance, thus provoking the public opinion. It has continuously affirmed that « everything is fine and what has been achieved is unprecedented! »

Consequently, the recent expressions of protest witnessed in some cities are a natural and logical outcome of these conditions. Therefore, the Party of Progress and Socialism affirms the following:

First: We express our solidarity with the legitimate demands as expressed by the youth. We believe that the optimal method for engaging with peaceful youth protests is through dialogue, active listening, and sincere embrace, dealing with the situation with understanding, positivity, and openness.

Second: It is essential to change the course of public policies toward the effective elevation of social conditions and the genuine redressal of territorial disparities. The Government must assume its responsibility in tackling the deep-seated causes of the disturbing situation. This includes addressing the deviations within the health system, where the quality of public hospitals is declining, whilst there is an unprecedented, rapid development of the private health sector, as indicated by public health expenditures and the way they are used. The same applies to education, where the decline of the public school system is matched by the significant growth of private educational institutions. While the PPS does not reject the existence of a responsible and complementary private sector in health and education, it stresses that the backbone in these two vital fields must be the Public Hospital, the Public School, and the Public University. Furthermore, the Party underlines the need for measures to address the rampant corruption witnessed in public governance, and which has been explicitly rejected by the youth.

Third: These youth expressions can achieve their objectives and legitimate demands, and gain the necessary resonance, only by maintaining their peaceful, civilised, and responsible character, and by avoiding any lapse into violent methods against security forces or vandalism against public and private property. This unruly conduct is absolutely unacceptable and we, in the Party of Progress and Socialism, reject it under any pretext. Similarly, we do not accept the use of any violent or degrading treatment towards the protestors and demonstrators.

Fourth: In light of the regrettable violent practices used by some demonstrators in certain cities, and in anticipation of the potential spread and escalation of these practices—which would deeply harm the peaceful nature of the protest, undermine the legitimacy of the demands, and divert its course in a direction that serves neither the country’s interests nor the citizens’ nor those of sound democratic institutional life—the Party of Progress and Socialism fervently appeals to the protesting youth to consider that their message has been received, and that the support for their demands is wide and deep. The public interest, under these circumstances, necessitates avoiding the continuation of the protest in its violent forms, so that the initial peaceful protest movement remains a source of support for all advocates of change and a driving, pressing force for profound reforms.

Fifth: It is necessary for all social actors, forces, and intermediary bodies, as well as those responsible for public affairs management, to recognise the imperative of elevating democratic practice and strengthening the mechanisms of social mediation, including political parties, unions, associations, and various institutions. This must be part of an earnest effort to restore prestige to noble political action and to reconcile citizens, especially the youth, with the political and institutional sphere. This task is urgent and requires suitable spaces to host a broad and open public discussion with the youth. The Party further stresses that all these spaces must diligently work to deepen analysis for a profound understanding of the transformations occurring in the Moroccan society and the aspirations and expectations of today’s youth.

Issued in Rabat, October 1st, 2025