Election observation in Morocco

The 2011 parliamentary elections were decisive in many respects. Besides the fact that impartial and independent election observation is now referred to in the Constitution and governed by a law, these elections mobilized a larger number of national and international non-governmental organizations, research centres and intergovernmental institutions, as well as diplomats and individuals. A total of 3799 observers were mobilized for the observation of the elections.

At the national level, 3498 badges were issued to monitor election campaigns, access polling stations and monitor the counting of votes for the Moroccan observers mobilized by CNDH (which 234 observers, a central unite of some 15 persons and 28 coordinators) and 11 Moroccan NGOs.

In addition to the Moroccan Organization for Human Rights, the Moroccan Democratic Civil Forum and the Collectif Associatif pour l’Observation des Elections (650 associations and 2728 observers), that observed previous elections, other human rights NGOs (such as the Centre for Peoples’ Rights (Centre des droits des gens), Al Karama Forum for Human Rights and theInstance marocaine des droits de l’Homme) observed the elections. Networks of women’s rights associations were also accredited to observe the parliamentary elections, such as the Democratic League of Women’s Rights (Ligue démocratique des droits des femmes) and Créativités féminines.

For the first time as well, two networks of youth associations (Youth Alliance for Reform –Alliance des jeunes pour la réforme– and the network of associations rallied around Programme concerté Maroc) were accredited to observe the elections, in addition to development NGOs, such as Mouvement Touiza -Ben Guérir Chapter.

9 international institutions (NGOs, intergovernmental organizations, research centres and diplomats) and a total of 301 international observers were accredited for operation. The European Union sent 7 electoral experts and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe accredited a delegation of 45 persons.

International organizations, other than the National Democratic Institute and the Electoral Observatory of the Autonomous University of Madrid which also observed the previous elections, were accredited to observe the 2011 parliamentary elections, including the International Crisis Group, Gender Concerns International, the (Amman-based) Arab Network for Election Observation, and the International Research Japan.

The National Human Rights Council also invited 47 personalities, and prominent human rights activists.

CNDH and the Special Accreditation Commission organized a training session for trainers, four training sessions for observers and four information and awareness sessions for more than 1100 national and international observers.

The training for trainers focused on the legal framework governing parliamentary elections, techniques for filling out questionnaires and techniques for conducting training workshops.

The four training sessions for observers sought to acquaint them with the legal framework governing parliamentary elections as well as with the techniques for filling out electronic questionnaires.

The four information and awareness sessions held for international observers shed light on the legal framework governing parliamentary elections, particularly the rights and suties of independent and impartial election observers, the specific aspects that can be observed during the election campaign, voting procedures, counting of votes, and the announcement of results.

More than 4000 observers were deployed in 2015 to observe the campaigns and the elections of the Councils of the Regions and the Municipalities, on the 4^th of September, and the Prefectural and Provincial Councils, on the 17^th of September. The number of observers also included 76 international experts, deployed to observe the different elections.

In addition, 131 observers were deployed to observe the Election of the House of Councilors, including the last two days of the campaign and the Election Day, on the 2^nd of October 2015; the first in the history of election observation in Morocco.

Local and regional elections (4 September 2015)

In addition to the National Human Rights Council, the Special Commission for the Accreditation of Election Observers accredited 34 Moroccan associations and six international NGOs. The CNDH also invited 49 other international observers, representatives of foreign diplomatic missions, intergovernmental organizations and national human rights institutions to observe the elections. 4024 observers were mobilized in total.

Thanks to the efforts of the accredited bodies, nearly 22.000 polling stations, out of 39.320, were observed, i.e. almost 56% of the polling stations (the threshold recommended by international observation standards is 3%).

The Special Accreditation Commission held six training sessions to directly train more than 1.200 observers. It also held sessions to train trainers, who themselves led training seminars to train local civil society actors deployed for the election observation.

Accredited national associations

• The Instance nationale des droits de l’Homme (for human rights); the Collectif associatif pour l’observation des élections (for election observation); the Forum civil démocratique marocain (for the promotion of democracy); the Observatoire national des droits de l’électeur (for voter’s rights); the Association Titrit (local association in Agadir); the Médiateur pour la démocratie et les droits de l’Homme (for democacy and human rights); the Collectif pour la promotion des droits des personnes en situation d’handicap (for disability rights); the Association Génération de la technique et du développement (local development association in Essmara); the Association Jeunesse sans frontières pour le développement (local development association in Haouz); the Centre de réflexion stratégique et de défense de la démocratie (local development association in Laayoune); the Association Tisghnasse  pour la culture et le développement (local development association in Nador); the Organisation marocaine des droits humains (for human rights); the Centre des droits des gens (for human rights); the Centre Chourouk pour la démocratie et l’information (for democracy and information); the Association créativités féminines (in Sefrou); the Fédération de la ligue démocratique des femmes (for women’s rights); the Forum Karama pour les droits de l’Homme (for human rights); the Association marocaine de lutte contre la violence à l’égard des femmes(for the fighting violence against women); the Réseau Al Amal pour le secours et le développement durable (local association for sustainable development in Al Hoceima); the Association Rif pour les droits de l’Homme (for human rights in the region of Rif; the Association Arif pour la culture et le patrimoine (local association for culture and cultural heritage in Al Hoceima);
• Association d’appui aux  personnes Handicapées (for disability rights and assistance in Laayoune); the Alliance  nationale de la jeunesse et de l’enfance (for youth and children); the Association marocaine des jeunesses pour le développement (for development); the Forum marocain pour la démocratie et les droits de l’Homme for democracy and human rights); the Association Tassila pour la Coopération et le développement rural (local association for cooperation and rural development in Agadir); the Collectif El Madkouri pour les droits de l’Homme (local human rights association in El Gara); the Association Univers presse pour l’information (local press and information association in Rhamna); the Conseil régional du Réseau marocain des droits de l’Homme (network for human rights in the region of Béni Mellal-Khénifra); the Observatoire des libertés et des droits de l’Homme (freedom and human rights observatory in the Region of Grand Casablanca); the Association Hay Al Aouda pour l’environnement et le développement (local association for environment and development in Essmara); the Association des chercheurs dans le droit du contentieux (local association of litigation law researchers in Oujda); the Association nationale pour le développement durable et la coopération internationale (national association for sustainable development and international cooperation in Oued Zem); and the Forum Iffous pour la démocratie et les droits de l’Homme (local forum for democracy and human rights in Tata).

Accredited international organizations

• The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES); the National Democratic Institute (NDI); the Arab Election Watch (Arab network for election observation); Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, the Arab Federation for Human Rights Centers; and Gender Concerns International.

 In addition to the 500 observers it deployed, the CNDH extended invitation to the diplomatic missions of Canada, Sweden, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, the national human rights institutions (NHRIs) of Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Palestine and Tunisia, the Arab Network of NHRIs, United Cities and Local Governments-Africa (UCLG-Africa) and the Observatory of Political Elections in the Arab-Muslim World to observe the elections. The European Union also deployed an election observation mission, from August 15 through September 14, for an overall assessment of the entire electoral process.