Morocco’s auditors say parties returned 36m dirhams but 14 still owe 22m

Morocco’s Court of Accounts said 24 political parties have returned 36.03m dirhams in unused public funding to the treasury, while 14 parties still owe 21.85m dirhams that has not yet been repaid, in findings published in its annual report covering 2024 to 2025.

The court said the repaid amount covers support linked to election campaigns and annual party financing, and is broken down into 28.71m dirhams for campaign spending, 2.53m dirhams for management costs, and 4.79m dirhams earmarked for missions, studies and research.

For the sums still outstanding, the court said the 21.85m dirhams relates to 14 parties and includes funding that was not backed by legally required documentation, support that was not used, spending judged to be outside the purposes for which it was granted, and amounts considered not due.

The report said 94 percent of the unpaid total is linked to election campaign support, largely from the 2021 cycle and earlier campaigns in 2015 and 2016, while the remainder relates to annual support for management costs for 2017 and the period from 2020 to 2023 that has not yet been reimbursed by six parties.

Despite the arrears, the court said Morocco received a top score of 7 out of 7, alongside only three other countries, in an OECD assessment of mechanisms controlling the financing of political parties and election campaigns, citing criteria that include an independent oversight body, access to accredited auditors, public availability of financial reports, publication of audit results, respect for legal deadlines, and a unified electronic platform for consolidating accounts and data.