(3 minutes read)
- Campaigning began in Morocco for September 8 elections
- Presently, Moroccan Islamist party heads the current government coalition
- Nearly 18 million citizens, 46 percent of them women, will be eligible to vote
- They will choose 395 deputies of the House of Representatives. They will also elect more than 31,000 municipal and regional officials
Campaigning began in Morocco for September 8 elections. Presently, Moroccan Islamist party heads the current government coalition. Nearly 18 million citizens, 46 percent of them women, will be eligible to vote. They will choose 395 deputies of the House of Representatives. They will also elect more than 31,000 municipal and regional officials.
There are restrictions on campaigns due to the coronavirus pandemic. Gatherings of more than 25 people have been banned. The North African countries moderate Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) is betting on winning the legislative elections for the third time since 2011.
Ten years ago, in the heat of the Arab Spring, thousands of Moroccan demonstrators took to the streets demanding “more social justice, less corruption and less autocratic rule”.
King Mohammed VI moved quickly with a promise of reforms, including a new constitution granting broad prerogatives to parliament and the government. However, major decisions and policy in key sectors have stayed the monarch. A new electoral law adopted in March changed how the quota of elected officials is calculated. It is now based on the number of people on the electoral roll, not those who actually vote. The new system was criticized by the PJD, which has also condemned corruption in Moroccan politics.
