Moroccans strong participation in Belgian polls, very positive evolution

The imposing number of participants of Moroccan origin in Belgian legislative polls, to be held May 18, is a very positive evolution that will lead to a more significant representation of the Moroccan community, Brussels University Researcher and sociologist, Hassan Boucetta, said.

With 33 candidates vying for seats at both parliament chambers, the Moroccan community has the greatest number of representatives among immigrant communities, the academic, who conducts research on immigration, told MAP.

At Brussels communal level, the elected representatives of Moroccan origin are numbered at 70, which represents almost 10% of the overall number, Boucetta said, underlining the difficulty of "turning this electoral victory into a political one." For the researcher, the political integration of the Moroccan-Belgian elite follows a "gradual phenomenon." Ten years ago, there were no immigrant representatives, and there will certainly be many of them in the years to come, he said.

Parties can not be blamed for not integrating enough immigrant representatives, and at the same time, for using them for electoral ends, he said.

For Hassan Boucetta, only two or three out of the 33 candidates have real chances to obtain a mandate.

Others will mainly try to consolidate their stands within their parties in anticipation of the regional elections of 2004.