Morocco: More on the Upcoming September 7 Elections

The September 7 Moroccan legislative elections are just one week away. Last week, we heard from Moroccan bloggers about the voting and elections process; this week we'll hear more about the different political parties and expected outcomes.

First off, Agadir Souss (fr) has provided introductions to two parties in the running: The USFP (Union Socialiste des Forces Populaires or Socialist Union of Popular Forces), and the PI (Parti d'Istiqlal or Independence Party). The blogger promises to provide information on the other parties, saying:

Nous nous contenterons donc de proposer nos points de vue respectifs, jeunes et le plus objectifs possibles, en souhaitant une interactivité avec les lecteurs à travers leurs opinions et leurs éclaircissements

We will thus be satisfied to share our respective, young points of view and be as objective as possible, and are hoping for an interactive experience with the readers through their opinions and their explanations. Thank you in advance!

Mohamed El Kortbi of Partageons nos passions (fr) (“Let us share our passions”) has posted several photos of election-related locations, including this one:

Electoral boutique

Amina Talhimet (fr) espouses on the diversity of those campaigning:

Oui, ces élections ont ce quelque chose d'historique. Ultraconservateurs (islamistes pour les médias), conservateurs (droite historique), socialistes, anciens communistes, gauche de la gauche (anciens socialistes, anciens gauchistes) travaillistes, ruraux, centristes, indépendants, libéraux, partis nés de rien…sont tous au rendez-vous. Ils ont compris qu'il fallait que l'Histoire s'écrive avec eux.

Toute la question maintenant est de savoir, si ces mouvements politiques, qui ont tous leur légitimité, certains plus que d'autres bien sûr…, auront la capacité de mobiliser des madame et monsieur tout le monde dans le Maroc d'aujourd'hui. Celui où des jeunes de 18 ans vont voter pour la première fois dans l'histoire du pays. De cette frange importante de la population pour qui politique rime avec gros mot. De tous ces gens depuis si longtemps habitués à vendre leur dignité à l'insu de leur plein pour moins d'un kopeck…

Yes, these elections will be historical in some ways. Ultraconservatives (Islamists for the media), conservatives (historically right-wing), socialists, former communists, left of the left (former socialists, former leftists) workers, farmers, centrists, independents, liberals, parties born out of nowhere… are all in the running. They understood that it was necessary that History is being written with them.

The main question now is whether or not these political movements which are all legitimate, some more than of others of course, will have the capacity to mobilize Mr. and Mrs. everyday person in Morocco today. The Morocco in which some 18-year-old youngsters will vote for the first time in the history of the country, this important fringe of the population for whom politics rhymes with idiotic. All these people who are all too accustomed to sell their dignity without their full consent for less than a kopeck…

The ruling party wants to offer free internet access, but Rage Attitude call this a Utopian pipe dream:

Dans la ville phare du tourisme marocain, la municipalité peine encore à ramasser les ordures, à assurer complètement l'éclairage, à proposer des transports en commun dignes de ce nom, et à finir ses projets à temps, alors que c'est ce même USFP qui a la majorité au sein du conseil municipal. Loin de moi l'idée d'en dénigrer le Président, ce sont surtout les scissions et les conflits d'intérêts entre les membres qui imposent cette léthargie. Offrir alors Internet au peuple s'apparente à l'utopie !

In Morocco's tourism capital, the municipal government still struggles to clean up the streets, to ensure complete access to electricity, to offer a mass transit system worthy of that name, and to finish these projects on time, and its that same USFP [that is proposing universal internet] which holds the majority at the municipal council… Far be it from me to denigrate the President; this lethargy is more than anything a product of the splits and conflicts of interests between the members. So offering internet to the public belongs in a Utopia!

Finally, Moonlight (fr) shares with us her growing concern that something unsavory is amiss:

Plus que quelques jours avant les élections législatives mais bizarrement la tension ne monte pas beaucoup. Peu de contacts des candidats avec le public et jusqu'à présent, je n'ai pas vu d'affiches placardées dans ma commune, de quelque parti que ce soit…Je ne comprend pas beaucoup ce qui se passe. Cela n'augure rien de bon. Les jeux sont-ils faits d'avance?

It's more than several days before the legislative elections and strangely tensions have not risen much. There's little contact between the candidates and the public and up until now, I haven't seen any posters put up in my neighborhood, of any party…I don't really understand what is happening. This can't be the start of anything good. Has the contest been determined in advance?

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