Morocco to introduce electronic voting and stricter eligibility rules for university department heads

The Moroccan government is expected to review and approve a draft decree establishing the conditions and procedures for electing heads of university departments, including new eligibility requirements and the introduction of electronic voting.

The draft decree, No. 2.26.330, obtained by Hespress, sets out the rules governing the election of department heads, the duration of their mandates and the compensation attached to the position.

Under the proposed text, candidates for department leadership must be full professors appointed to the institution concerned and actively carrying out their duties there. Candidates will also be barred from simultaneously running for seats on university councils, institutional councils or scientific committees.

The decree stipulates that department heads will be elected by and from among tenured faculty members or academics on secondment who belong to the department and have worked at the institution for at least two years.

Restrictions on candidacies and electronic voting

The draft decree explicitly prohibits professors benefiting from medium- or long-term medical leave from running for the position.

It also bars candidates who have been subjected to disciplinary sanctions under Morocco’s general civil service statute, unless those sanctions have been removed from their official records in accordance with existing legislation.

Department heads will be elected through a secret ballot under a single-member voting system, with the winner determined by a majority of votes cast.

Faculty members will be able to vote either in person or remotely through a dedicated electronic platform.

The decree sets the term of office at four years, with no possibility of renewal.

If no department head is elected or the position becomes vacant for any reason, the head of the institution will temporarily appoint a professor to carry out the duties. If no full professor is available, the responsibility may be assigned to an associate professor or, if necessary, to a tenured lecturer until a new election is held.

Expanded responsibilities

The draft decree grants department heads broad powers within Moroccan universities, making them automatic members of both the institutional council and the scientific committee.

Working under the supervision of the institution’s president, department heads will be responsible for organizing and monitoring educational and scientific activities, overseeing the use of teaching, research and logistical resources, and coordinating examinations linked to programs offered by the department.

Their responsibilities will also include coordinating the work of faculty members, supervising administrative and technical staff, organizing student internships in cooperation with academic staff, and monitoring the use of operational and investment budgets allocated to the department.

In addition, department heads will be required to carry out assignments requested by the institution’s president that relate to the department’s academic field and to prepare draft internal regulations governing the department’s operations for approval by the institutional council.

The decree also provides for financial compensation for department heads, although the amount and payment procedures will be determined later through a joint decision by the ministries responsible for higher education and finance.

If approved, the decree will form part of the implementation of Morocco’s new higher education reform framework.