Moroccan elections build upon democratic experience

2007-08-26

Morocco's second elections under Mohammed VI are set for September 7th. They will be the nation's eighth legislative elections, building on decades of political progress and setbacks.

By Mawassi Lahcen for Magharebia in Casablanca – 26/08/2007

[Mawassi Lahcen] The September 7th elections will be the country's eighth elections, the second since King Mohammed VI took the throne.

On September 7th, Moroccans will head to the polls to elect representatives to their 325-member lower house of parliament. The elections will utilise a list system of voting, with proportional representation based on the largest percentage cast for each list out of the total vote, with a national list designated for women.

There are 33 parties competing in these elections, and they put forth 1,870 local candidate lists, which will vie for 295 seats. In addition, there are 26 national candidate lists, which will compete for 30 seats allocated to women.

Polling will take place at 7,380 voting offices across the country. The Interior Ministry's National Administration for Electoral Districts is selecting voters to staff polling stations. These staffers will take part in a week-long training course on running the voting offices and elections operations. Presidents of the offices and their assistants will be appointed by the governors 48 hours prior to the launch of the voting process.

Many officials have expressed concern over voter participation, as they believe it to be a strong indicator of election credibility. Interior Ministry statistics indicate that 15.51 million people, 48% of whom are women, have registered to vote. Interior Minister Chakib Benmoussa announced during a Friday evening (August 24th) press conference that 75% of registered voters already had voter cards and that applications for voter cards will be accepted up until election day.

The current legislative elections are Morocco's eighth, and the second since the ascension of King Mohammed VI in 1999.

Morocco had its first electoral experience in 1960 with the election of its first municipal councils. Moroccans were invited to cast their votes a second time in 1962, during the referendum on the Constitution. In 1963, the country held its first parliamentary elections, but shortly thereafter the late King Hassan II declared a state of emergency. He dissolved the Parliament in 1965 in a tumult of conflict between the royal establishment and political parties.

Hassan II restarted the democratic process with municipal elections in 1969 and parliamentary elections in 1970, but the progress stagnated, especially after Driss Basri assumed control of the Interior Ministry. Basri reportedly falsified election results, formed new political parties on the eve of each vote, and manipulated electoral lists and ballots. Elections in Morocco thereby lost credibility, leading to dwindling turnout and abstention of the country's youth from political affairs.

Morocco has undergone what many observers consider to be positive developments over the past ten years, beginning with the formation of a government of compromise in 1997 and elections in 2002. King Mohammed VI placed considerable personal and political weight behind the 2002 elections, to make them the nation's first fair elections and a launching point for genuine democratic transformation in Morocco.

This period saw numerous accomplishments, most prominent among them the Family Code, the National Initiative for Human Development, the Press Law, universal health coverage, the Parties Law and the creation of a Justice and Reconciliation Commission, which was entrusted with the resolution of 40 years of human rights violations and the redressing of damages to victims.

The elections laws were updated and consolidated in the Elections Code, which was formulated within the framework of negotiations between political parties and the interior ministry with the involvement of civil society organisations in the debate and consultations. The Elections Code regulates all stages of the electoral process, from submitting nominations and managing the election campaign, to voting and counting operations, announcement of results and appeals, and other procedures connected to the elections.

Since 1997, elections in Morocco have been conducted based on candidate lists, with proportional representation based on the groups receiving the highest number of votes. A national women’s list has been formed and will compete for 30 parliamentary seats, while the local lists will vie for the remaining 295 seats.