Consultations continue in Morocco to form a new government, following the victory of the Contemporary Authenticity Party in the legislative elections, and the appointment of King Mohammed VI Fatima Zahraa Al Mansouri as head of government. In Algeria, the death penalty has been expanded to include arsonists and child kidnappers. In Mauritania, there have been demands to pass a law against sexual assault of minors.

Published on: 02/10/2026 - 14:40 Last updated: 02/10/2026 - 14:42

Morocco: Al-Mansouri continues consultations to form the government

The Prime Minister-designate of Morocco, Fatima Zahraa Al-Mansouri, continues her consultations with party leaders to form a new government, as she received the leaders of a number of parties in preparation for forming a government alliance, the centerpiece of which will be the Authenticity and Modernity Party that wins the elections.

The most prominent parties responded to Al-Mansouri’s invitation to consult on the components of the next government, while the Secretary-General of the Justice and Development Party, Abdelilah Benkirane, refused to hold the meeting with Al-Mansouri at her party’s headquarters.

Read also: Morocco: Al-Mansouri continues consultations to form the government

Algeria: Expanding the death penalty to include arsonists and child kidnappers

The Algerian National People's Assembly adopted a draft to amend the Penal Code to include the death penalty for crimes of setting fire to forests and kidnapping children. After its approval, the text moves to the National Assembly, the second chamber of Parliament, for discussion and voting on it, before it is signed by the President of the Republic and issued in the Official Gazette to begin its implementation.

Amnesty International called on Algeria to "immediately abandon any plans to expand the scope of the death penalty or resume executions more than three decades after they stopped."

Read also Algeria: The House of Representatives approves the application of the death penalty for arsonists of forest fires and cases of child kidnapping

Tunisia reduces penalties for the anti-fake news law amid human rights criticism

Tunisia reduced the penalties stipulated in Decree 54 on combating fake news, after President Kais Saied signed an amendment on Wednesday that abolishes the five-year prison sentence and replaces it with fines, while maintaining imprisonment in the event of repetition.

Organizations concerned with freedom of the press welcomed the partial easing of sanctions, but considered that the amendment does not address all the concerns related to the text.

The head of the National Union of Tunisian Journalists, Ziad Dabbar, said that amending one chapter and abolishing some prison penalties “does not mean the end of conscience trials in Tunisia,” noting that journalists are still being prosecuted under other laws, including the Communications Code, the Anti-Terrorism Law, and the Penal Code.

Read also: Tunisia reduces penalties for the anti-fake news law amid human rights criticism

Mauritania: Two rape cases revive demands to pass a law against sexual assaults on minors

In the face of a series of sexual assaults that have sparked widespread discontent in Mauritania in recent weeks, civil society organizations have called for the adoption of a law in the country to punish acts of gender-based violence. Several rape cases, particularly those involving two girls aged seven and four, have reignited the debate on the need to punish sexual crimes in Mauritania, as there is no special law addressing these attacks.

Read also: Mauritania: Civil society organizations demand the adoption of a law to punish acts of gender-based violence

School entry is delayed in Libya, and the teachers’ strike unites the divided country

The start of the school year in Libya has been delayed, and schools remain closed due to a strike that united teachers from both parts of the divided country to demand better wages.

School was scheduled to start on September 6, but the authorities postponed that to the 13th of the same month, a decision they attributed to some schools undergoing maintenance work.

Later, teachers in public schools announced the implementation of a protest movement that spread throughout the country, despite it being divided into two parts. This movement was supported by the Teachers Union.

School doors are still closed due to these protests, causing about 1.6 million students, between primary and secondary schools, to be deprived of receiving lessons.

But private school teachers do not participate in this movement, because they are not concerned with the demands of their colleagues in the public sector.

This movement had previously attracted several thousand to a demonstration on September 24 in front of the Tripoli municipal headquarters, before those in charge of it announced the implementation of a “general strike” starting on September 27.

France 24/ Agencies

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