Employment and economic growth dominate election programmes

27/08/2007

With Moroccan voters becoming increasingly informed about political issues, the country's political parties must present more coherent strategies in order to gain popular support. A number of parties have announced their post-election plans, most of which focus on economic growth and unemployment.

By Sarah Touahri for Magharebia in Rabat – 27/08/2007

[Sarah Touahri] Political parties have presented their election programmes amid a blaze of publicity.

Morocco's main political parties (USFP, Istiqlal, PPS, MP and PJD) have unveiled their election programmes amid much fanfare. Accused of lacking coherent strategies in the past, this time they have called on leaders to carefully assemble the economic and social aspects of their platforms and to back them up with figures. The centrepiece of their platforms is the promotion of employment and economic growth, although good governance and tackling corruption also feature prominently.

The Socialist Union of Popular Forces made the first move by unveiling its economic programme on June 8th. It aims to increase economic growth from 5% to 7%, to create 2 million jobs over five years and to wipe out illiteracy in five years. It plans to work on five areas: strengthening purchasing power, improving the business environment, modernising state activity, encouraging training for human resources and increasing spending on research and development from 0.75% to 1.5% of GDP. Party Secretary Mohamed El Yazghi said, "if the USFP forms part of the government, the programme will not necessarily be entirely its own. However, we will try to get our future partners on board by convincing them of the strength and relevance of our proposals."

The Istiqlal Party has pledged to create 1.3 million new jobs and achieve a level of economic growth of 6%, excluding cereal production. It has also promised to allocate 1,200 dirhams ($146) to enable each child to enrol in school, 6,000 dirhams ($732) to families looking after a disabled person and 3,000 dirhams ($366) to those looking after an elderly person. According to Abdelhamid Aouad, a member of the party’s political office, these goals will be achieved by implementing new regional voluntary-sector policies encouraging the diversification of production and also creating regional centres of competition.

The People's Movement is planning to create 300,000 jobs per year and a total of 1.5 million by 2012. They insist there is a need to ease the tax burden on companies to encourage investment and recruitment. At the social level, the MP highlights the importance of reducing school dropouts and making pre-school education and teaching in Tamazight standard, as well as slashing illiteracy.

The Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS) intends to create 2 million jobs by 2012, tackle poverty and exclusion with a promise to cut poverty in Morocco by half, promote the participation of women in development and firmly establish equal opportunity, and also to develop good governance and curb corruption.

Employment is also a top priority for the Party of Justice and Development, which has pledged to reduce unemployment in cities by 12% and create 300,000 sustainable jobs every year. The party's plans focus on the creation of an economy of solidarity "based on the redistribution of wealth and openness, with companies owned by citizens and having a human face".

The PJD plans to earmark 11 billion dirhams ($1.3 billion) per year for a number of measures including a zakat fund a special habous fund.

Party leaders know that no party is likely to win an outright majority in a political landscape marked by such diversity. According to Ismail Alaoui, Secretary-General of the PPS, "no party can hope to implement its programme in full. It is certain that the next government’s programme will be negotiated by the partners."