Promoting the possibility of Ilyas El Omari’s return: a provocation to the memory of Moroccans
In recent days, several articles have emerged on news websites promoting the idea of Ilyas El Omari’s “return” to the political scene. The truth is that merely mentioning this name again is a blatant provocation to the memory of Moroccans, who still retain vivid details of the era of chaos and failure that bore his signature.
El Omari was never a statesman or a true political leader; he was merely an adventurer who rose meteorically since 2015: leading the Party of Authenticity and Modernity, presiding over the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, achieving striking electoral results in 2016, and making an ostentatious appearance as a “ready alternative” for the government. Yet, he fell dramatically at his first true test.
The death of Mohcine Fikri in October 2016 sparked the Al Hoceima protests, exposing the man’s fragility. He was unable to confront the streets or bear the responsibility of de-escalation. He was absent when his presence was required and returned with a weak television address that did nothing to quell the anger. Then events unfolded: the arrest of Nasser Zafzafi in May 2017, followed by Hamid Mahtawi in July, culminating in El Omari’s own withdrawal in August 2017 with a humiliating resignation.
More troubling, El Omari did not limit his failure to local or party matters; he played a more dangerous card: using foreign media voices, like Gerando and Samberiro, to tarnish his country’s image and exaggerate the crisis. Here, he transitioned from a failed politician to a gambler risking his nation’s reputation.
The mere hint of his return today is an insult to people’s intelligence and an attempt to recycle a thoroughly failed experience. El Omari has fallen and is finished, and any potential return is merely a return to chaos and empty adventurism.
Morocco does not need to reopen the wounds of yesterday. The memory of Moroccans, which is provoked today by this name, knows well that El Omari’s trajectory was nothing but a journey from the heights of illusion to the depths of failure.
