Moroccans go to the polls amid reports of electoral fraud

2009-06-12

Hundreds of complaints have been lodged ahead of the June 12th communal elections. The interior and justice ministries are looking into allegations of vote buying and use of violence.

Siham Ali in Rabat contributed to this report for Magharebia – 12/06/09

[AFP/Getty Images] Millions of Moroccans cast their ballots in the country's first municipal elections since 2003.

Over 13 million Moroccans will cast their ballots on Friday (June 12th) in the first municipal elections since 2003. Thirty political parties are fielding some 130,223 candidates for nearly 30,000 local council seats.

Even though polling stations do not close until 7pm, about 900 complaints of campaign irregularities have already been lodged with the Justice Ministry.

In some cities, members of the public are critical of the use of "dirty money" to buy voters and the occasional use of violence and threats.

The greatest number of complaints came from the Marrakech-Tensift-Al Haouz region, according to MAP.

"Amounts varying from 100 to 1,000 dirhams have been offered to voters," said Saida Taamari, a resident of Marrakech. "Candidates have recruited young people who try to get in touch with the poorest families, exploiting their poverty to win votes."

Similarly, Samir N., who works in Tangier, said that many candidates "have no scruples, and use dishonest methods to succeed in the elections. Many of them are members of political parties."

A number of parties have made official complaints regarding offences alleged to have been committed during the election campaign.

Accusations have also been levelled at the authorities.

Abdellah Baha, who represents the Justice and Development Party, accused the authorities of exhibiting "negative neutrality" towards instances of electoral fraud.

Penal Affairs Director Mohammed Abdennabaoui said that the interior and justice ministries are working together to tackle fraud and speak out against practices that are harmful to the elections.

He told reporters on Wednesday that his department looked into all of the complaints that had been submitted, which numbered over 900.

The cases of electoral fraud reported involved the use of money and other inducements to influence voters (295 complaints), the use of public money and abuse of office (77 complaints), and the use of violence or threats (52 complaints). They also involved ahead-of-schedule election campaigning (49 complaints), and non-compliance with rules governing registration on election lists (42 complaints) and those governing election campaigning (39 complaints).

Abdennabaoui further pointed out that a number of other allegations concerned offences governed by the Criminal Code, such as threats, insults, and the storing of weapons.

Disciplinary action has been taken against 505 officials and assistants, said Mohamed Ouzgan, the interior ministry's director for civil liberties.

"The role of the courts is fundamental for efforts to tackle the failings and deal with cases of electoral fraud," explained Interior Minister Chakib Benmoussa before Parliament on Wednesday. "The role of political partners is also crucial in spreading and fostering the culture of transparency and integrity."

Many members of the public have called for greater efforts to ensure that candidates are not allowed to behave dishonestly.

Rajae Bekkali, a student living in Kenitra, said that the measures taken by the authorities are insufficient since a number of candidates are making use of dishonest methods with impunity.

The voter roster is made up of 54% men and 46% women. Thirty-two percent of registered voters are under age 35. Efforts to include more female candidates led to a quota of at least 12%. The interior ministry said that the percentage of female candidates on supplemental lists rose from 4.8% in 2003 to 15.7% this year.