Morocco: on the threshold of decisive vote
Morocco, Politics, 9/27/2002

Over 14 million Moroccan voters will head Friday for polling stations across the country to elect their representatives in the future 325-house of representatives, a vote set to be a decisive turning point in the construction of democratic Morocco.

Well before the start of the electoral campaign a fortnight ago, the authorities joined calls to practical measures to ensure free and fair elections.

"The mobilization of each and everyone imposes itself as a necessity if we are not to miss this crucial rendez-vous with democracy," said King Mohammed VI in a speech last August.

Prime Minister Abderrahmane Youssoufi, who leads a center-left coalition government since 1998, echoes the royal will.

"The government of Morocco is keen to see to it that the outcome of the elections reflects the country's genuine political map," says Youssoufi, voicing hope that the Friday vote will help consolidate Morocco's march towards economic and social development.

Part of the moves to do away with fraud and vote buying, Morocco introduced a new voting system by list. Voters will have to pick their chosen delegates on a single list.

To help illiterate voters, who account for 61 per cent of the electorate, political parties have chosen clearly identifiable logos to make them stand out on ballot paper.

A party, for instance chose, an open eye, another a car, and another one an alarm clock.

In a bid to enhance voters' enthusiasm for the election, the authorities used Internet, TV, radio and newspaper ads, explaining the new voting system.

"Our future is in our hands," "don't give chance to election riggers" or "rigging is strongly punished by the laws" say some of the ads aired continuously on the public TV channels and radio stations.

After casting their ballots, voters will have indelible ink dabbed on their hands to prevent them from voting twice.

Twenty six (26) political parties have put a total of 5,865 candidates on the race for the 325 seats in the next House of Representatives.

The innovation of this year's elections is the authorities' decision to reserve 30 seats in the future house to women. Voters will have to vote on a national list for females.

The move is seen as revolutionary by many observers, as it will mark an outstanding jump in females' political representation that will go up from 0.6 per cent to 30 per cent.

Only one woman sits in the outgoing House of Representatives.

Women are a major electoral force in Morocco, accounting for 49 percent of the 14,023,604 electors. Civil society activists, particularly women, are unanimous to laud the authorities' decision, but note that this is not the end of women's fight for full emancipation and participation in decision making.

"The national list is an important step that opens the way for a better representation of women in decision making centers," says Ms. Latifa Akherbach, a professor at the Rabat-based Higher Institute of information and Communication.

Ms. Akherbach relates the low representation of women in Morocco to economic and social hardships still facing females.

For Ms. Damia Benkhouya, gender equality in Morocco is not a problem at the theoretical level. It is on the practical level that the problem starts to be posed, she said.

In their campaigns, political parties defended programs that were deemed identical, embracing pledges to curb the rampant unemployment that hits 20 percent of the population, fight poverty, promote rural world and spur investments.

Some fields as crucial as culture, child situation and sports, were absent in all parties "programs."

Previous Stories:
  Morocco at the vanguard of Arab states democratization, US academics   (9/17/2002)
  Minister hails initiative to create elections watchdog association   (9/17/2002)
  Minister pledges territorial administration's firmness in implementation of electoral law   (9/17/2002)

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