Morocco: Elections campaign kicked off on Thursday

The campaign for the legislative, regional and local elections scheduled to take place on September 8 kicked off on Thursday (00H00), marking the beginning of an important step towards the consolidation of democratic practice in Morocco.

 

The campaign, which will end on Tuesday, September 7 at midnight, is an opportunity for the 32 political parties in the race to present and defend before the voters their economic, social and cultural programs and projects in order to convince them to adhere to their approach to overcome the challenges facing the country.

 

However, this year, the electoral campaign is taking place in a special context in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. As the rallies and gatherings are banned under the health emergency measures, political parties will have to adjust their communication strategies, using digital techniques (videoconferencing, hybrid meetings, etc.)

 

Given this exceptional and unprecedented context, political parties are called upon to develop a roadmap that is flexible and easily adaptable to the pandemic situation, adjusting their communication techniques with the measures recommended by the health authorities and the government’s guidelines for managing the pandemic.

 

The election campaign was preceded by the filing of candidacies for the elections, an operation that took place from August 16 to 25 at midnight.

 

More than 4,500 observers, national and foreign, have been approved by the Special Commission for the Accreditation of Election Observers to monitor the polls. They include nearly 70 international observers representing some 14 international NGOs and two international parliaments as well as representatives of more than 44 Moroccan NGOs.