PAM freezes Mounir Limouri’s membership amid Tangier election investigation

Saturday 03 - 08:21

The Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) has frozen the membership of Mounir Limouri across all of its organizational structures, placing one of its senior local figures at the center of a widening dispute surrounding the September 23, 2026 legislative vote in Tanger-Assilah.

The decision was announced on October 2 by the party’s National Arbitration and Ethics Commission following a referral from PAM’s Political Bureau concerning allegations involving Limouri, who serves as the party’s provincial secretary in Tanger-Assilah and as president of the Tanger Municipal Council.

Party disciplinary action follows election-related investigation

According to the commission, the internal measure is connected to events that occurred during the electoral process in the Tanger-Assilah constituency. Those events have already prompted a judicial investigation by the competent authorities.

The disciplinary decision, registered under case file 2.26, was taken under Article 149 of PAM’s statutes. It effectively removes Limouri from participation in the party’s structures while the broader legal proceedings continue.

The move represents a formal response by the party to a case that has moved beyond an internal political dispute and into the judicial sphere. It also separates the party’s disciplinary mechanisms from the courts’ role in determining whether criminal responsibility has been established.

PAM stresses presumption of innocence

In announcing the measure, PAM’s ethics body explicitly emphasized that its decision should not be interpreted as a determination of criminal guilt.

The commission said it was acting while respecting judicial independence and the presumption of innocence. It also stressed that disciplinary authority within the party operates independently from criminal proceedings, with criminal liability requiring a final judicial ruling with legal force.

This distinction is central to the party’s position: the freezing of membership is an internal disciplinary measure, while questions concerning possible criminal offences remain within the jurisdiction of the judicial authorities.

Judicial proceedings continue in Tangier

The party’s announcement comes as the judicial investigation into the election-related events develops. According to reports published on October 2, an investigating judge at the Tangier Court of Appeal ordered Limouri to be placed in pre-trial detention in connection with the case.

The investigation originated after ballot papers were reportedly found outside a polling station in Tangier following the September 23 vote. Authorities subsequently examined material and other evidence as they sought to establish the circumstances surrounding the ballots and determine the responsibilities of those potentially involved.

Reports concerning the judicial proceedings describe allegations linked to the handling of voting operations, but these allegations remain subject to the ongoing legal process. The judicial outcome has not been determined by a final ruling.

Political and legal tracks remain separate

Limouri’s case now has two distinct dimensions. On the political side, PAM has imposed an internal suspension affecting his membership and access to party structures. On the judicial side, the investigation and pre-trial proceedings are being conducted independently by the competent authorities.

For PAM, the decision allows its disciplinary bodies to respond to the allegations while maintaining that only the courts can ultimately establish criminal responsibility. The distinction is particularly significant given Limouri’s dual role as a senior party official and head of the municipal council in Tangier.

The case therefore places the spotlight not only on the events surrounding the September 23 election in Tanger-Assilah, but also on the way political parties respond internally when allegations involving electoral procedures become the subject of judicial scrutiny.