The process of designating representatives for Morocco’s regional electoral lists reserved for women remains tightly controlled by party leaderships, conducted behind closed doors and shielded from public scrutiny. As election season approaches, the names of those who will represent these so-called “rent lists” — seats widely seen as virtually guaranteed without the need for grassroots campaigning — have yet to be officially disclosed by any political formation.
According to a report published by the daily Assabah on June 30, this opacity has fueled growing unease about why party leaders continue to withhold information on a process that effectively pre-determines a share of parliamentary seats. The newspaper noted that the secrecy raises pointed questions about the criteria guiding these internal selections.
Compounding the controversy, Assabah revealed a scandal that threatens to send shockwaves through the political establishment. A senior official within one political party reportedly threatened to take her own life if the head of her formation failed to name her as the representative for the women’s regional list.
The newspaper reported that the official believed she had been promised the position during a previous election cycle, a commitment she felt had since been broken — a perceived betrayal that pushed her to confront party leadership directly. Sources cited by Assabah said she delivered her threat during a closed-door meeting in the party leader’s office, warning that she intended to disclose the entire affair in a farewell letter.
The episode, the newspaper argued, should serve as a wake-up call for Morocco’s political class to overhaul how representatives for women’s regional lists are chosen — grounding the process in internal democracy, integrity, equal opportunity, and transparency.
