RABAT, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- The leader of Morocco's main opposition Ilyas El Omari resigned on Tuesday amid troubles facing his party since its defeat in last year's election.
In a press conference, El Omari of the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), announced his resignation, saying he "assumes the political responsibility" of the party's decline, particularly after the election.
"I am the one who chooses them, and I have to take full responsibility for their conduct," he said.
Elected as the PAM chief in 2016, El Omari vowed to lead his party to win the parliamentary elections and invested enormous resources in the campaign, only to be beaten by the ruling Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD).
PAM said in a statement that it refuses El Omari's resignation, and called for the party to convene as soon as possible to make the final decision. But El Omari told the press his resignation is "irreversible."
The announcement came a day after the PAM's leadership debated the party's performance since the elections at a long meeting.
In the last few months, many elected members of the party resigned over the lack of enough resources to deliver services to their local communities. In addition, the party has registered the highest proportions of absence in parliament sessions.
Media reports linked his resignation to the protest in the northeastern province of Al Hoceima, as he is the president of the regional council of the larger region of Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima and his party dominates the province.
The resignation came more than a week after King Mohammed VI severely criticized politicians and public officers.
In a speech to the nation on the occasion of the 18th anniversary of his ascension to the throne on July 29, the king criticized politicians and public officials for their low performance and the delay in the implementation of a set of social projects in Morocco's different regions, including Al Hociema.
The situation in Al Hoceima has been tense since October 2016, when fish vendor Mouhcine Fikri was crushed to death after climbing into a rubbish lorry to retrieve his swordfish confiscated by police.
The demand for justice for Fikri in the northeastern region has evolved into a major grassroots movement to request greater government investment to create more jobs.
Morocco has not witnessed any protests of this size since the pro-democracy demonstrations during the Arab spring in 2011.
