A Successful Election in Morocco
While the world’s attention is focused on the fallout from Iran’s election, an election in another Muslim country gave reason for hope: A Muslim Nation’s Successful Election.
It is 131 degrees Fahrenheit in Marrakesh, Morocco, yet a slow but steady stream of voters—many of whom are women—enter the schoolyard to cast their ballots at the polling stations for the municipal elections.
On June 12, 2009, 1,503 communities chose their representatives in orderly, transparent elections, according to Ahmed Herzenni, chairman of Morocco’s human rights watchdog, CCDH. His opinion was shared by more than 150 foreign observers, including the International Strategic Studies Association from Washington, D.C., and the New York-based American Center for Democracy (ACD).
Unlike the Soviet-style election in April that led to the reelection of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in Algeria, Morocco’s eastern neighbor, or the controversial and violent presidential election in Iran, Morocco’s election was “fair and free.”
The meticulously planned and executed election marked an important step in King Mohammed VI’s reform plans to decentralize governance and empower local communities. With 6% economic growth, large investment in education and development, $21.11 billion in foreign debt and $27.29 billion in reserve, Morocco has weathered the global economic storm better than most. In introducing a new form of governance, the king’s reforms are designed to increase the participation of all citizens in political and economic systems.
Morocco’s interior minister, Chakib Benmoussa, an MIT graduate, led the planning, preparing and training of election officials and volunteers. A budget of close to $62 million was allocated to plan, organize and administer the elections. Special efforts were made to include more women in local politics. To overcome the high level of illiteracy and encourage voting, the ballots included pictures of the political parties, which were well advertised in advance.
These efforts yielded impressive results: Local elections attracted 15.4% more voters than the last parliamentary elections, in 2007. More than 7 million voters (52.4%) elected 27,795 council members; 61% of these were newly elected. The number of women elected rose significantly, from 0.4% in the previous local elections in 2003 to 12.3%. Most of these women are under the age of 35, and 75% of them have higher than secondary education.
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