Regional organizations and foreign nongovernmental groups will participate in the neutral observation of Morocco’s parliamentary elections this week, with the vote set to produce a new House of Representatives and a governing majority that will oversee public affairs for the next five years.
The Special Committee for the Accreditation of Election Observers approved 26 nongovernmental associations and national institutions, as well as 30 international bodies and organizations, during two meetings held in Rabat earlier this month under the chairmanship of Amina Bouayach. The groups will deploy a total of 3,000 observers.
The committee said delegations representing 20 international and regional nongovernmental organizations, as well as national institutions and networks working on democracy, human rights, elections, audiovisual communications and democratic research, will observe the vote. Ten diplomatic missions accredited in Morocco will also take part.
The Arab League will participate in monitoring the elections scheduled for Sept. 23 following an invitation from Morocco’s National Human Rights Council.
The league said its delegation arrived in Rabat on Saturday, led by Ambassador Hussein Al-Hindawi. The delegation will meet with institutions and organizations involved in the electoral process to review preparations and arrangements for the vote.
The Arab League said its observers will monitor the electoral process at its various stages and issue a preliminary statement after polling ends. A final report containing observations and recommendations will subsequently be submitted to Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy before being shared with relevant Moroccan authorities.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, known as PACE, also announced that a 20-member delegation led by Elisabetta Gardini will be in Morocco from Sept. 21 to 24 to observe the parliamentary elections.
The delegation is scheduled to meet with officials from the Interior Ministry, the president of the National Human Rights Council and the president of Morocco’s High Authority for Audiovisual Communication, as well as representatives of political parties contesting the elections, civil society, international organizations and the media.
A legal expert from the Venice Commission, the Council of Europe’s independent body of legal experts, will provide legal advice during the visit.
The International Republican Institute, a U.S. nonprofit organization focused on promoting democracy, also announced that it will send an international election observation delegation to Morocco, with observers deployed specifically in the country’s southern regions.
The institute said in a statement that its delegation will meet with election authorities, political parties and civil society organizations. Its observers will be deployed across the Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab and Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra regions.
The institute said it will issue a preliminary statement after the mission concludes, followed by a comprehensive report providing an impartial assessment of the quality and conduct of the elections, along with recommendations for strengthening future electoral processes.
The institute said it has conducted more than 270 international election observation missions around the world since 1983.
add your comment
Terms of publication : Not to offend the writer, people, sacred things, or attack religions or the divine self, and refrain from racist incitement and insults.