Saadeddine Othmani ( ber, ⵙⴰⵄⴷ ⴷⴷⵉⵏ ⵍⵄⵓⵜⵎⴰⵏⵉ; ar, سعد الدين العثماني; born 16 January 1956), sometimes translated as Saad Eddine el-Othmani, is a Moroccan politician.
[ He served as the 16th ]prime minister of Morocco
The prime minister of Morocco (officially Head of Government, ar, رئيس حكومة المملكة المغربية, rayiys hukumat almamlakat almaghribia) is the head of government of the Kingdom of Morocco. The prime minister is chosen by t ...
from 17 March 2017 to 7 October 2021. Previously he served as foreign minister
A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...
from 2012 to 2013.
Following the legislative elections of November 25, 2011 giving victory to the PJD, he was appointed on January 3, 2012, by King Mohammed VI
Mohammed VI ( ar, محمد السادس; born 21 August 1963) is the King of Morocco. He belongs to the 'Alawi dynasty and acceded to the throne on 23 July 1999, upon the death of his father, King Hassan II.
Upon ascending to the throne, Moha ...
, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, a position he held until October 10, 2013. Since 2002, he has also been a member of the Maghreb Council of the Choura, the advisory council of the Arab Maghreb Union
The Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) or simply the Maghreb Union (MU) ( ar, اتحاد المغرب العربي ', french: Union du Maghreb Arabe) is a political union and economic union trade agreement aiming for economic and future political unity am ...
.
Early life and education
Othmani was born in 1956 in Inezgane
Inezgane (; ) is the capital of Inezgane-Aït Melloul Prefecture located on the north bank of the Sous River, about south of Agadir, on the Atlantic Ocean coast of Morocco. It is in some ways a suburb to the larger Agadir, but unlike the tourism ...
, near Agadir
Agadir ( ar, أݣادير, ʾagādīr; shi, ⴰⴳⴰⴷⵉⵔ) is a major city in Morocco, on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean near the foot of the Atlas Mountains, just north of the point where the Souss River flows into the ocean, and south ...
, in the Sous
The Sous region (also spelt Sus, Suss, Souss or Sousse) ( ar, سوس, sūs, shi, ⵙⵓⵙ, sus) is an area in mid-southern Morocco. Geologically, it is the alluvial basin of the Sous River (''Asif n Sus''), separated from the Sahara desert ...
s region. He comes from a famous Chleuh
The Shilha people (, ), or Ishelhien, or Chleuh are a Berber subgroup primarily inhabiting the Anti Atlas, High Atlas, Sous Valley, and Soussi coastal regions of Morocco.
Overview
The Shilha people traditionally call themselves ''ishelhien''. T ...
family from Sous
The Sous region (also spelt Sus, Suss, Souss or Sousse) ( ar, سوس, sūs, shi, ⵙⵓⵙ, sus) is an area in mid-southern Morocco. Geologically, it is the alluvial basin of the Sous River (''Asif n Sus''), separated from the Sahara desert ...
originating from the village of Aguercif (a small village that belongs to the Amanouz tribes near Tafraout
Tafraout, also Tafraoute ( ar, تافراوت, Shilha ber, ⵜⴰⴼⵔⴰⵡⵜ) is a town in Tiznit Province, Souss-Massa region, Morocco, in the central part of the Anti-Atlas mountains. It had a population of 4,931 at the 2004 census.
Nam ...
), which according to Mohamed Mokhtar Soussi, is "one of the only two families in Morocco where science has been perpetuated for more than a thousand years”. This is Islamic jurisprudence and not science in the modern sense. His family immigrated to a village in the Ammelne valley and then to Inezgane
Inezgane (; ) is the capital of Inezgane-Aït Melloul Prefecture located on the north bank of the Sous River, about south of Agadir, on the Atlantic Ocean coast of Morocco. It is in some ways a suburb to the larger Agadir, but unlike the tourism ...
.
In 1976, he received his baccalaureate in math, he then moved to Casablanca
Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...
to pursue a PhD at the city's Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy
Faculty may refer to:
* Faculty (academic staff), the academic staff of a university (North American usage)
* Faculty (division), a division within a university (usage outside of the United States)
* Faculty (instrument), an instrument or warrant ...
, which he received in 1987. He also studied Islamic Studies at the Faculty of Sharia Law in Aït Melloul
Aït Melloul (; ar, أيت ملول) is a city on the west coast of Morocco. It is located in the suburban area of Agadir just southeast of Inezgane, on the southern bank of the Sous River. According to the 2014 population census, the city is ho ...
, receiving his bachelor's degree in 1983 and his master's degree in 1987. In 1994, he began practicing as a psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry, the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. Psychiatrists are physicians and evaluate patients to determine whether their sy ...
.
He has written numerous books on psychology and Islamic law, and worked as the editor-in-chief of many magazines and publications.
Political career
In 2004, after the withdrawal from politics of Abdelkrim Alkhatib, Othmani became the head of the Justice and Development Party (PJD). At the time, he was also a parliamentary deputy of Inezgane
Inezgane (; ) is the capital of Inezgane-Aït Melloul Prefecture located on the north bank of the Sous River, about south of Agadir, on the Atlantic Ocean coast of Morocco. It is in some ways a suburb to the larger Agadir, but unlike the tourism ...
. He was later succeeded by Abdelilah Benkirane
Abdelilah Benkirane ( ar, عبد الإله بنكيران, born 2 April 1954) is a Moroccan politician who was Prime Minister of Morocco from November 2011 to March 2017. After having won a plurality of seats in the 2011 parliamentary election ...
in 2008, and became leader of the party once again in 2017 following Benkirane's failure to form a government.
Othmani was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 3 January 2012 to 10 October 2013 in the government headed by his party, the PJD. He was succeeded as Minister of Foreign Affairs by Salaheddine Mezouar
Salaheddine Mezouar ( ar, صلاح الدين مزوار – born 11 December 1953, Meknes) is a Moroccan politician and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 10 October 2013 until 2017.
Career
In 2004, he was appointed Minister of Industry, Trade ...
. Subsequently, he headed the parliamentary group
A parliamentary group, parliamentary party, or parliamentary caucus is a group consisting of some members of the same political party or electoral fusion of parties in a legislative assembly such as a parliament or a city council.
Parliamentar ...
of the PJD.
On 17 March 2017, Othmani was appointed as Prime Minister by King Mohammed VI
Mohammed VI ( ar, محمد السادس; born 21 August 1963) is the King of Morocco. He belongs to the 'Alawi dynasty and acceded to the throne on 23 July 1999, upon the death of his father, King Hassan II.
Upon ascending to the throne, Moha ...
. Othmani later stated that his appointment as the Prime Minister was "unexpected."
On 25 March 2017, Othmani announced that the government he was leading would include the PJD, the National Rally of Independents (RNI), the Popular Movement (MP), the Constitutional Union (UC), the Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS) and the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP).
His cabinet was formed on 5 April 2017. His government was viewed as francophile
A Francophile, also known as Gallophile, is a person who has a strong affinity towards any or all of the French language, French history, French culture and/or French people. That affinity may include France itself or its history, language, cuisin ...
. On 26 November 2017, Othmani announced the dismissal of four cabinet members for allegedly failing to implement the government's development program for Morocco's northern Al-Rif region.
On 24 August 2020, Othmani along with his party rejected the Israel–Morocco normalization stating it's breaching Palestinians’ rights. 10 months later, Othmani received Hamas
Hamas (, ; , ; an acronym of , "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Bri ...
leader Ismail Haniyeh
Ismail Abdel Salam Ahmed Haniyeh; sometimes transliterated as Haniya, Haniyah, or Hanieh (born 29 January 1962) is a senior political leader of Hamas and formerly one of two disputed Prime Ministers of the Palestinian National Authority. Haniy ...
in Rabat
Rabat (, also , ; ar, الرِّبَاط, er-Ribât; ber, ⵕⵕⴱⴰⵟ, ṛṛbaṭ) is the capital city of Morocco and the country's seventh largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan populati ...
to express his support for the Palestinian cause
Palestinian nationalism is the national movement of the Palestinian people that espouses self-determination and sovereignty over the region of Palestine.de Waart, 1994p. 223 Referencing Article 9 of ''The Palestinian National Charter of 1968' ...
.
On 8 September 2021 in the legislative elections
A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
his party won 13 of the 395 seats, losing nearly 90% of the seats obtained in 2016. After the devastating political defeat, former PJD leader and prime minister of Morocco, Abdelilah Benkirane
Abdelilah Benkirane ( ar, عبد الإله بنكيران, born 2 April 1954) is a Moroccan politician who was Prime Minister of Morocco from November 2011 to March 2017. After having won a plurality of seats in the 2011 parliamentary election ...
, called upon Othmani to resign from his position. Many politicians blamed Othmani for his poor performance. The following day, Othmani decided to resign from his position as Secretary General of the Justice and Development Party. Aziz Akhannouch
Aziz Akhannouch (; ; born 1961) is a Moroccan politician, businessman, and billionaire who is currently the Prime Minister of Morocco since his government took office on 7 October 2021. He is the CEO of Akwa Group and also served as Minister of ...
of the National Rally of Independents was appointed by Mohammed VI on 10 September to form a government, and formally succeeded him on 8 October.
Personal life
In October 2021, Othmani resumed his job at his private psychiatric practice in Rabat. He also released a book about the path of prominent Moroccan figures in the world of jurisprudence and politics.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Othmani, Saadeddine
1956 births
Government ministers of Morocco
Justice and Development Party (Morocco) politicians
Living people
Members of the House of Representatives (Morocco)
Moroccan Berber politicians
Moroccan psychiatrists
People from Agadir
Prime Ministers of Morocco
Shilha people
University of Hassan II Casablanca alumni