Morocco's TelQuel Media Pressures Spanish Politics on Western Sahara Issue
Moroccan weekly TelQuel uses editorial pressure to influence Spanish politics, favoring PSOE and warning against PP over Western Sahara stance.
- • TelQuel's editorial is a political intervention in Spanish debate on Western Sahara.
- • Morocco conditions its relationship with Spain on political compliance regarding Western Sahara.
- • PSOE is depicted as a trusted partner; PP is seen as a risk due to its reference to international law.
- • Morocco aims to discipline Spanish democratic pluralism to protect its occupation of Western Sahara.
Key details
The Moroccan weekly TelQuel has published a politically charged editorial titled "Maroc-Espagne : une idylle sous conditions," which serves as an intervention rather than a neutral analysis in Spain's internal debate on Western Sahara. According to the editorial, Morocco conditions its bilateral relationship with Spain on Madrid's political compliance with the Moroccan stance on Western Sahara.
TelQuel portrays Spain's Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) as a reliable ally, particularly highlighting Pedro Sánchez's 2022 letter as a structural commitment aligning with Moroccan interests. Conversely, the People's Party (PP) is depicted as a threat due to its references to international law and UN resolutions, which Morocco considers unacceptable. The Moroccan editorial underscores that democratic alternation in Spain is tolerable only if it does not challenge Morocco's occupation of Western Sahara.
This stance reflects Morocco's broader strategy to influence Spanish foreign policy and discipline Spain's democratic pluralism to safeguard what Morocco calls a "consensus imposed" on Western Sahara's occupation. The editorial emanates from TelQuel, which operates within Morocco’s strict media environment and echoes the state's discourse, illustrating Morocco's desire to shape Spain’s political landscape in its favor by limiting political dissent on this issue.
The interference reveals Morocco's view of the Western Sahara conflict as not just a decolonization matter but a key criterion in choosing Spain's political partners, attempting to normalize its illegal occupation through political pressure on Spain.
This article was synthesized and translated from native language sources to provide English-speaking readers with local perspectives.
