- The crucial legislative and regional election in Morocco is taking place on September 8 amid rising cases of Delta variant of COVID19.
- About 18 million Moroccans are expected to cast their votes
The crucial legislative and regional election in Morocco is taking place on September 8 amid rising cases of Delta variant of COVID19.About 18 million Moroccans are expected to cast their votes to choose the 395 deputies to form the House of Representatives and 678 seats in regional councils. The biggest competing political parties are PJD, the National Rally of Independents Party and the Authenticity and Modernity Party.
The government has laid out strict safety guidelines for campaigning parties. The campaigning team cannot be more than 25. The parties have shifted to social media for campaigning in view of the restrictions imposed due to the pandemic. Apart from the challenges posed by the Pandemic, the political parties are facing challenges brought by the new rules of the electoral system . According to the new rules, where seats are granted based on the number of registered voters, can lead to shifts in the power equation of the parties.
Political analysts are of the view that the new rule of allocating parliamentary seats could further fracture the Moroccan political landscape and lead to a coalition to form a government.
The voters are hoping that the elected representatives will strive to overcome the country’s prolonged economic crisis deepened by COVID-19. With the severe unemployment in the country, youngsters risk their life and try to migrate to other countries. Moroccan SMEs are struggling with the loss of business, and lack of financial support accentuated by the Pandemic.
