Moroccan elections marked by low turnout

2007-09-08

Despite being the freest elections in Moroccan history, the September 7th legislative elections failed to excite the majority of voters and motivate them to cast their ballots.

By Sarah Touahri for Magharebia in Rabat – 08/09/2007

[Sarah Touahri] Of the more than 15.5 million registered voters, only 41% went to the polls.

Morocco's legislative elections on Friday (September 7th) were marked by heavy abstention, despite government efforts to ensure high turnout. Although more than 15.5 million Moroccans were registered to vote to elect 325 deputies to the Chamber of Representatives, Interior Minister Chakib Benmoussa announced at 8pm that turnout counts were unlikely to be higher than 41%, despite an awareness-raising campaign which began months ago to encourage voters to turn out en masse.

Political science professor Mohamed Tozy of the Hassan II University in Casablanca said the value of voting was not adequately communicated to the public because there were "no real debates by either the government or the opposition", and the parties' platforms were "global and ambiguous".

Law professor Chakib Badraoui said the low turnout was due primarily to the fact that political parties did little to reach out to voters. "Big parties like the USFP and Istiqlal are no longer doing their former job of raising public awareness."

For the first time in Morocco, the turnout level was announced before voting had ended. Throughout the day, the Minister of the Interior announced that national turnout had reached 5% by 10am, 16% by 2pm, 25% by 4pm and 34% by 6pm, just one hour before polling stations closed their doors. Although voting staff arrived early in the morning to ensure a timely opening, by 8 am only a few people had trickled in. By mid-morning, relatively few votes had been cast despite the availability of polling stations throughout Morocco's cities and villages.

Polling officials waited for voters to arrive and took the time to explain the voting process to several people. Many voters told Magharebia they did not recognise the symbols of the 33 parties on the list. "I didn’t have a clue, I didn’t know the logos," said El Haj Moussa Sellam, a pensioner. "I ticked a box at random. I just did my civic duty."

Former Bolivian President Jorge Fernando Quiroga Ramirez, who headed the team of international observers, had hoped that Moroccans would turn out en masse. After a visit to a polling station in Rabat, he said that all of his team's observations would have to be collated before he could draw any conclusions on the elections. "My experience of observing elections in many countries has taught me that you can’t get a clear and objective idea or view after visiting just a handful of polling stations," he said. "The delegation’s final report will be published in the coming weeks."

Representatives of the candidates, association members and international observers were also present at the polls to ensure that things ran smoothly. Chairman of the government-backed Advisory Committee for Human Rights, Ahmed Hrezni, said the elections took place in satisfactory conditions. "Since all parties acknowledged that the 2002 legislative elections were fair, this time around we’re expecting confirmation that we have really entered into an era where the fairness of elections is never called into question. This will be a real step forward for Moroccan democracy," he said.

The final results of the elections will be announced Sunday evening, two days after the close of voting- an improvement over the four days taken in 2002. Provisional results for local constituencies are expected Saturday at 6pm.