Marruecos se prepara para las elecciones que decidirán su futuro para los próximos cinco años
Wednesday, 8 September is marked in red on the calendars of the Moroccan population. The elections in two days' time will be marked by special measures to ensure the safety of all voters due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is important to bear in mind the delicate moment in which Morocco finds itself. On the one hand, the migration crisis with Spain and, on the other, the recent severing of diplomatic relations with Algeria, which will mark a turning point in the ties of the entire region.
In an election in which up to 32 parties will contest, the battle for the country's leadership is expected to be in the hands of the four main parties. Justice and Development, the party currently in power since 2011, is expected to win for the third consecutive time, despite a decline in popularity predicted by pundits. The strongest alternative appears to be the party led by Aziz Akhenouch, the National Rally of Independents (RNI). The Moroccan businessman has been Morocco's agriculture minister since 2007.
The RNI participated in the previous Justice and Development party government, but was highly critical of various aspects of its administration and now promises to right what it sees as wrongs. On the other hand, the still ruling party, led by Saadeddine Othmani, firmly believes in its chances of winning for the third time in 10 years. It is worth noting that this occasion will be special, not only because of the conditions caused by the pandemic, but also because it will be the first time that the Maghreb country will hold three elections simultaneously: legislative, regional and municipal.
Expectations for these elections seem to be very high among the Moroccan population. In order to vote in elections in Morocco, one must be registered on a census. Right now, almost 18 million people are already registered, out of the 24 million over the age of 18 who could vote, i.e. 75 per cent of the total. Moreover, 8% of those who have registered to exercise their right to vote are young people aged between 18 and 24, the vast majority of whom will be voting for the first time. This figure reflects an increase of 2.2 million people compared to 2016, which demonstrates the interest in politics on the part of Moroccan society, which is aware of the delicate situation their country's foreign policy is going through.
Despite remaining favourites, Justice and Development is not going to have an easy time in an election as peculiar as this one. Thanks to the Interior Ministry's ban on polls in 2016 and the latest reform of electoral laws passed in March, it is very difficult to predict the outcome of what will happen at the polls next Wednesday. The same reform will allow seats to be won from 3 per cent of the vote, thus disadvantaging the majority parties. According to experts, the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP) or the Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS), historical socialist parties, will benefit the most and could halt, at least minimally, the decline in which they have been plunged over the last decade.
Even with the elections just around the corner, public concern remains overwhelmingly focused on the third wave of infections in the country. Morocco has more than 15 million people - roughly 42 per cent of the population - fully vaccinated. However, in recent weeks, a hundred deaths per day have been recorded, forcing a 9 p.m. curfew throughout the country. These factors, together with the impossibility of holding meetings of more than 25 people or distributing electoral propaganda, have meant that the efforts of all parties have focused on social networks, which will undoubtedly play a vital role in these decisive elections.