NDI has actively worked to strengthen democratic institutions in Morocco since 1997. The Institute implements programs in the country which aim to reinforce civic engagement in the political process, increase the responsiveness of political parties to citizen needs, strengthen representative institutions such as the parliament and promote the expanded political participation of women and youth. The People’s Mirror Strategic Research Center, established by NDI in 2003, provides decision makers with meaningful qualitative data through focus groups and in-depth interviews on Moroccans’ priorities, and to help those decision makers enhance their linkages with the citizenry. Recently, NDI organized a 52-member international election delegation, the first ever in Morocco, to assess the conduct and management of the September 2007 legislative elections. The delegation issued a final report which featured recommendations for improving electoral processes and advancing long-term democratic reforms.
Political Context
Morocco is one of the most compelling examples of democratic development in the Middle East and North Africa. Since his ascension to the throne in 1999, King Mohammed VI has undertaken reforms which have begun to liberalize the political process. Specific advances have been made to promote personal freedoms and women’s rights, particularly with an amendment to the moudawana (Family Code). The King also established an Equity and Reconciliation Commission (IER), which made significant progress in recognizing human rights abuses committed by the previous regime. Nevertheless, citizens recognize that the reform process to date has been largely driven by the King and has yet to endow parliament or political parties with substantial decision-making power.
Recent legislative elections marked important progress, including equal access to public media for political parties, nationwide voter education campaigns and the presence of both domestic and international observation missions that judged elections to have been administered efficiently and freely, with only isolated reports of fraud. The September 2007 legislative elections featured increased efforts on behalf of political parties and civil society groups to engage voters, develop relevant policy platform and encourage voter turnout.
Despite these efforts, voters expressed their dissatisfaction with the slow pace of reform and the overall Moroccan political system through the lowest turnout in the country’s electoral history –37 percent – sending a strong message to the Moroccan government that free and fair elections alone do not represent true democracy. The Palace and government authorities acknowledged the low voter turnout as cause for concern and encouraged discussion among political parties and civil society organizations on strategies for increasing voter engagement ahead of municipal elections scheduled for 2009.
NDI Programming
Civil Society Engagement
NDI’s work with local organizations has focused on reinforcing civil society’s role in engaging citizens on key social and political issues facing the country. Most recently, this was with the legislative elections of 2007. The Institute worked with the group leading voter education efforts across the country, 2007 Daba, to organize a national caravan that toured Morocco to increase citizens’ political awareness and encourage their participation in the September 2007 legislative elections through events such as concerts and party debates and the distribution of civic education materials. NDI also collaborated with 2007 Daba to increase the opportunities available to youth to participate in politics, including through university discussion groups and online forums. A partnership with the Union de l’Action Féminine (UAF) has focused on providing women activists with the skills to advocate for more women candidates and encourage women’s participation in other aspects of the electoral process. As a result, the number of women nominated on local level party lists increased by 12 percent.
Election Observation
At the invitation of the Consultative Committee on Human Rights (CCDH), NDI organized the first-ever international observation mission for Morocco’s legislative elections that included a five-member pre-election delegation and a 52-member election delegation. The pre-election delegation met with a broad spectrum of Moroccan political leaders and activists in Rabat and Casablanca, and visited several other regions to meet with local authorities and groups. The election observation delegation also met with a wide range of political actors, election authorities and citizens before deploying in 25 teams across 12 regions to meet with local actors and observe polling. On election day, the teams observed voting and counting processes in 375 polling centers across the country.
