During a press briefing held on Monday, 15 October in Laâyoune, Hassan Derham, a member of the USFP Political Bureau and president of the municipal council of El Marsa, a port city located 25 kilometres south-west of Laâyoune, announced that he had submitted his irrevocable resignation.

As the regional secretary of the Rose party, he had been elected for the third time to head this municipality during the 2009 elections. His numerous commitments and his state of health, which left him no time to address the problems of his constituents, added to other administrative obstacles, led him to tender his resignation, our contact points out.

Derham confirmed this in a statement to our colleague "Al Ittihad Al Ichtiraki", blaming the current deadlock on the local authorities of Laâyoune, led by the Wali, who continues to hinder the implementation of projects related to the development of El Marsa. He also specified that the USFP had even been declared persona non grata by these authorities, who continue to put obstacles in the way of the actions its elected officials are undertaking for the socio-economic development of the region and the well-being of its inhabitants.

It should be noted that members of the municipal council belonging to the same political party have also threatened to follow in their president's footsteps and submit a collective resignation. This would be a first in the history of elected councils in the Saharan provinces.