Two parties boycott Morocco's elections
2007-08-28
Two political parties in Morocco have opted to refrain from participating in the coming legislative elections. Annahj Addimocrati and the Amazigh Democratic Party have decided the government has not yet achieved a satisfactory minimum level of fairness and transparency to warrant their participation.
By Sarah Touahri for Magharebia in Rabat – 28/08/2007
 [Sarah Touahri] Secretary-General of Annahj Addimocrati, Abdellah El Harrif (left), during a party meeting. |
Thirty-three political parties have fielded candidates for Morocco's September 7th legislative elections. Two additional parties, Annahj Addimocrati (The Democratic Path) and the Moroccan Amazigh Democratic Party, plan to boycott the poll.
Founded in 1995, Annahj Addimocrati has never taken part in an election. Its main ally, the Parti de l'Avant-garde Democratique et Socialiste (Avant-garde Democratic and Socialist Party, or PADS) has ended its own boycott of the elections and will run for the first time since its creation in 1984.
Mustapha Bahma, a member of Annahj Addimocrati's political office, said boycotting the elections is a right which his party intends to exercise while trying not to harm the interests of its allies in the national democratic grouping: PADS, the National Congress Party and the Unified Socialist Party.
Party Secretary-General Abdellah El Harrif says the party has not seen sufficient changes in the political situation to motivate it to participate in the upcoming elections, and that the current circumstances prevent it from participating. "We have seen no real change in public life. Parliament's activity is limited and it has no real power to legislate by implementing bills, guidelines or strategies. Ministers are just civil servants who carry out the will of the palace," he commented.
Annahj Addimocrati believes the outcome of the elections will neither make political life more democratic nor improve living conditions for the public, and they will not slow what it sees as the social and economic deterioration of Moroccan society. In the party's view there are more important things than standing in elections, such as grassroots-level campaigning to promote civil liberties and human rights, supporting the campaign against rising prices and working with people on a daily basis, as El Harrif said, "it is through grassroots activity that we can put pressure on parliament to make it take measures that will benefit the mass of citizens." He also called for "constitutional reform and changes to election laws to reduce the number of people who have been profiting from the situation for a long time and amassing wealth."
The Amazigh Democratic Party issued a statement in May regarding its decision to boycott the elections. The party's reasons included "the lack of recognition of Amazigh identity and the Amazigh language in the constitution, as well as the state's continuing strategic marginalisation of Amazigh concerns."
The party also blamed the absence of fundamental conditions guaranteeing fair competition between political parties and transparent elections. It called on all Amazigh organisations to support its stance with regard to the election boycott. Omar Afden, a member of the party’s political office, said the primary obstacle preventing it from taking part in the elections is the government's lack of a clear strategy for transparency. Like Annahj Addimocrati, it also believes parliament has insufficient powers to fulfil its intended aims.
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acharif moulay abdellah bouskraoui Posted 2007-08-28
I challenge anyone other than certain political parties who know ahead of time that they have no chance in getting a seat at parliament, either because their platform is not well known by the citizenry or because it is intolerable, to say that Morocco is not making a change towards democracy for the better. This fear of theirs has pushed some of them to hide behind outdated excuses, which have been unveiled in front of the entire world. In the end, 33 parties are involved and it seems to me that those who do not want to participate will go unnoticed. What irony!
tyfawt Posted 2007-08-28
As a result of the Amazigh Democratic Party’s boycott, I am refusing to vote: there is no other party that is making claims both for making the Amazigh language official and for secularization.
Barberouss Posted 2007-08-29
The regime is trying to organise a sham of an election so it can cover its inability to get out of the West-Saharan quagmire. Knowing the option of autonomy is rejected even by Moroccans, restored to power by Hassan II in order to topple demographic equality, the regime knows that the independence of the Western Sahara is inevitable and that from now on it is going to have to find another way to occupy these poor people. Generalizing, for example, the culture of cannabis, history of not leaving the matter in the sole hands of the palace courtesans.)
nabil Posted 2007-08-29
What you are doing is great. –Thank you
Noureddine Boutahar Posted 2007-08-29
These two parties are right as long as the parliament is a mere decorative element to polish the democratic front and as long as our ministers are helpless civil servants...
acharif moulay abdellah bouskraoui Posted 2007-08-31
Mr. Barberouss, you should know that this is not, as you said, a “sham of an election that the Makhzen has organized to cover up its inability to get out of the Western Sahara quagmire.” No, it is the will of the Moroccan people who are voting for a new Morocco, for a state of law. The elections will be held with the clearest of transparencies in all the Arab world. As for the Sahara, you should know that it was, is, and will always be Moroccan. We have taken an oath to and given ourselves to our deceased Holy King, Hassan II and our august King, His Majesty Mohammed VI. May the Lord aid him. So...
مواطن مغربي Posted 2007-09-01
Boycott is a negative attitude giving an opportunity to the obscurants and mercenary right to access the parliament and control the destiny of Morocco for five years. Moreover, the presence of the radical left parties is limited among the intellectuals, and the intellectual doesn't have an impact on his environment. These elections have to share the concerns of the citizen. As to the Amazigh Democratic Party, I think that this party is founded on a racial basis bearing an arrogance which is contradictory with democracy based on the cultural and not the natural racial. Moroccans do not deny that Amazigh is one of the components pf the Moroccan culture, but for a party to be founded on this racial basis, this is not justified democratically. And the values of its objectives are dubious.
anti tout Posted 2007-09-02
Elections??? What the…??? And we are going to elect idiots to manage the taxpayer’s money??? I do not believe in any of this. I am not going to vote or even think about this. Enough damage has been done with this kind of thing. That is what I think and that is the way it is.
anti tout Posted 2007-09-02
I am not voting because I do not want to choose some person to manage the money of all the taxpayers. These people are just spinners of dreams, sophists and Robin Hoods of the modern times. The neeeeeeeeeeeeeever do anything for the good of the country and its citizens. Personally, I do not trust them, but I am not going to talk about the scandals that already taken place. Oh yeah, one more thing: we need to reduce the terms. A four-year term, for example, has a history of fixing problems with a minimum of necessary harm.
Barbarous Posted 2007-09-03
-Acahrif Moulay, you are not accomplishing your role at supporting the Makhzen very well. Maybe you are hoping to get some of the dividends, but you should know that lies, rhetoric and Stalinist practices do not do a thing to advance Morocco. Only truth and democracy coming from the popular voice and not from the mafias and drug peddlers will permit Morocco to move from being a dictatorial narco-state to a respectable one.
avecetcontre Posted 2007-09-03
To change our dear country, Morocco, we need the involvement of all Moroccans without a single exception. We are moving this train forward, but it is heavy. We must be a leading example of a country, take honour in being citizens and proud to be Moroccan. But, without the monarchy, Morocco would be a complete mess. We would be worse off than Sudan and other such countries.
brdah Posted 2007-09-05
There was a time when Moroccans got themselves killed, held hostage and tortured just for a little democracy. The democratic parties are now demanding change and their base is following them in this by trusting in them. Only at the end of the late Hassan II’s reign did we start to see the light of hope. Today, we have had the luck of being given a king who has chosen modernity and democracy for Morocco. He spares no effort to make Morocco a prosperous country. Unfortunately, at the very apex of this oncoming change, the ill-willed have opened all their might against him so as to discredit all of this kingdom’s progress. These people want to keep living like this because it is in this very mess that they have won their fortune. There are many examples.. The day after tomorrow, September 7, upon the announcement of the election results, Moroccans who did not vote will surely see that the parties that did not share their conviction will have had the best results. At that moment, they will regret not having done their noble task and, instead, allowing these phantom candidates to represent us for an entire term.
MAJDOULIN Posted 2007-09-06
Since there is separation of powers and no constitutional reform, real democracy cannot be talked about.
yani Posted 2007-09-07
I dare someone to say that Morocco has not changed for the better. It all depends on whom you are comparing it to. While others may advance at 200 km/h, Morocco advances at 50, a difference of 150. So, is that advancing or falling back in your opinion? You spend your time comparing yourselves with those who are at the bottom, never with those at the top. 1% growth in Belgium = 20% for Morocco. Compare what is comparable, and always higher. Morocco must advance 3 times faster than the others if they wish to catch up within 100 years.
Anonymous Posted 2007-09-07
Any way you look at it, politics and religion do not mix well. So long as Moroccans do not understand this, the country will not advance. And that is a real shame.
amazigh Posted 2007-09-08
I am not voting if Tamazight is not on the ballot.
Badr Posted 2007-09-08
Lost Hope 7 September 2007 Marrakech Why didn’t I vote? I am a Moroccan and I live in Marrakech. For a long time now I have lived without confidence in Morocco’s governmental system. With this regime, I have also lost hope for the future of the country and for future generations. I was surprised when I learned that I was not the only Moroccan citizen to have lost hope. I had thought the number of people who shared the same feelings as me was small. It gives me consolation to know that I am not alone in feeling despair for the future of this country. I never voted and it is because I am convinced that the parties putting themselves up for election are doing so with no real plans. Now, I am sure that these parties have no idea what it means to have plans for a society. These parties pretend to have plans, but it is not true I wonder how it is possible to vote for a party that does not have something tabled (a precise plan), upon which it can base itself to change and improve the citizen’s situation. In what follows below, I am going to explain what it means to have a “plan for society.” What was the voter turnout for the elections? I followed how the elections went: yesterday, September 7, 2007, the Minister of the Interior confirmed at 8:30 PM that 34 per cent of our citizens went to the voting offices by 6 PM. He then added that he thought it would be 41 per cent by 7 PM. This evening he confirmed that 37 per cent of our citizens voted. He thought that this number was normal and, contrary to the media, political experts and political-party member, did not pose any sort of problem. The average rural turnout was quite high as contrasted by urban turnout, which, for the most part did not reach 25 per cent with the exception of a few cities like Laâyoune and Dakhla.
abdelaali Posted 2007-09-10
The caravan of the revolution is coming and the established system awaits its end.
aucun intéret Posted 2007-09-10
Just to inform you of an error: Mr. El Harrif is actually the person on the right and not the left, as was indicated in the caption. -Thank you for correcting this.
agrikech Posted 2007-09-11
Another piece of theatre in Morocco: the elections were won by people who do not represent the population. Sure, they represent the Moroccan population that voted. But for whom were the elections held? That is a question that will never have an answer. Morocco’s parties are based on Arab nationalism, but the majority of Moroccan people are Amazigh. Thus, you have never offered up a single voice to represent the Moroccan people and their beloved land. You have other priorities and you know it. That is one thing that is for sure. Our people do not even recognize our constitution, and we are the ones living in this land. And you, who have come and manipulated our history and culture, you dare think to try to slide on by like this. You are traitors to our families. We have been made awakened and God will aid us as you stray from our path.
Moha Posted 2007-10-11
I think this forum has no reason to exist. It would be better to delete it... people say anything without any reasoning or observation. Excuse me, but I see that the future of our people, which some of you claim is changing for the better, is getting worse. We keep crowing for freedom of expression and democracy, which is nothing but a political game and the day will come… more to come
gol Posted 2007-11-02
Mr. Moha, you are just blowing hot air. You need to understand your Charabia! You say this forum does not even have the right to exist, yet you still come here to post your Charabia! And, if everyone agreed about everything, then there would be no reason to debate it! But, wherever life exists, there are problems! You said that everything everyone is saying is just a bunch of unjustified “whatever”, but what are you trying to say by this? Do you want to say that you are overflowing with science and other people should not explain themselves because you say they are blowing hot air?
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