Morocco election-monitoring network flags voter influence, suspected vote buying

A Moroccan network of 78 civil society organizations monitoring the 2026 legislative elections reported 53 cases in which public property was allegedly used to benefit a candidate or political party during the campaign.

The network also reported cases of suspected vote buying, voter direction and campaign violations in its preliminary assessment of the election, presented Thursday at a news conference.

The network, which has monitored Moroccan elections since 2002, said 1,455 of its observers had been accredited for the 2026 vote.

An initial analysis of 676 forms completed during the campaign found 53 cases involving the use of public property for the benefit of a candidate or political party. The observers also recorded that 12% of the cases covered by those forms involved campaign posters being placed in public locations that were not designated for election advertising.

The network said its observers identified 59 suspected cases involving the use of money or bribery to influence voters.

Election day

On election day, the network visited 4,645 polling stations across 91 local electoral districts, using both fixed and mobile observation teams, according to Houria Kamal, a member of the network’s bureau.

The observation continued from the opening of polling stations through the preparation of voting records and their submission, she said.

The network recorded 40 cases in which observers were prevented from entering polling stations. It also found that 21% of the polling stations it observed — about 975 — had queues of voters before opening, while 87% of the stations opened at 8 a.m.

In 28% of the observed cases, or more than 1,300 polling stations, voters did not take their ballot papers themselves, according to the preliminary findings.

Observers also reported voter direction in favor of a particular candidate or list in 6% of the 4,645 polling stations observed, equivalent to about 279 stations.

Asked about whether the network had identified incidents similar to the ballot-paper case under investigation at a polling station in Tangier, coordinator Kamal Lahbib said observers had not documented such cases.

He said the absence of reports did not mean such incidents had not occurred and called for authorities to provide the network with information about cases that had resulted in judicial investigations.

Concerns before the campaign

The network’s preliminary analysis of 396 forms covering the period before the campaign identified 106 cases, or about 27%, involving public projects, property or services being used in an electoral context.

It also recorded 70 cases, representing about 18%, involving civil society activities that the observers said appeared to benefit a political party or candidate in an electoral context.

The network described the authorities’ response to the alleged use of public projects, civil society activities and public property as “passive neutrality.” It cited official Interior Ministry instructions prohibiting certain financing and charitable activities during the period preceding elections.

During the nomination process, observers monitored 75 offices and analyzed more than 179 forms. They recorded 11 cases in which a party list was rejected or dropped without being replaced, according to the network.

Digital campaigning and accessibility

The network also reported 66 cases involving artificial-intelligence-generated content or altered and allegedly false electoral content. It said such conduct is prohibited under Morocco’s election laws and subject to penalties.

According to Mohamed Tarek, a law professor at the Faculty of Legal, Economic and Social Sciences in Mohammedia, one political party spent as much as $150,000 on Facebook advertising during the 30 days preceding the election, more than the combined spending of the other parties, according to the network’s analysis. The network did not identify the party.

The observers also reported accessibility concerns for voters with disabilities. Their findings indicated that 27% of the polling stations observed did not allow people with disabilities adequate access or mobility to vote.

The findings are preliminary and cover only the polling stations and activities observed by the network. The network said it would continue analyzing the data and documenting cases that require further investigation.