Moroccans are preparing to cast their ballots on Wednesday in legislative, regional and local elections, all taking place on the same day.
The election, which comes as the country grapples with the economic impact of Covid-19 and as it faces down a spike in cases caused by the Delta variant, has been preceded by calls for a boycott from opposition groups under the pretext that their results are a foregone conclusion.
The moderate Islamist Justice and Development Party has been heading the government coalition since 2011 after winning two elections in a row.
Voter turnout in Moroccan elections is usually below 50 per cent. In the 2016 election, it was about 43 per cent - 2 per cent lower than what was seen in 2011.
Official figures show that about three million young people between 18 and 22 registered to vote for the first time this year, making up about 11.9 per cent of the total number of eligible voters in the country.
Eighteen million eligible voters will elect candidates from 31 political parties and coalitions for 395 seats in Parliament on Wednesday. They will also be selecting representatives for 678 seats on regional councils.
Of those The National spoke to, several first-time voters said they were enthusiastic about playing a role in democracy.
“Boycotting is not effective. It doesn’t allow us to uproot corruption,” said 19-year-old Achraf Amrdo, who works at a bakery and is a member of the Unified Socialist Party.
The first-time voter added he felt happy “because he would be using his vote to stop those who steal public funds”.
Morocco’s 2020 Corruption Perception Index is 40 points, one point less than 2019, reported Transparency International, citing a lack of government accountability and significant risks for mismanaged funds and corruption.
But some see the elections as a healthy test for whether political parties can keep their promises.
Sixty-year-old Fouzia Ait Sghyer said that she would be taking part in the election for the first time on Wednesday.
“For me, it’s a mere experiment. I will see if the party I will vote for will be able to provide education and health care for us or not. Afterwards, I will decide if I will continue to cast my ballot in future elections or not,” she said.
This year’s election is also an experiment for officials, taking place after sweeping reforms to the process. One such change is the way votes will be calculated: on Wednesday the number of seats in Parliament will be allocated based on the total number of eligible voters, rather than the number of those who actually cast their ballots.
The government has also removed the requirement for parties to reach at least 3 per cent of the national vote to win a seat.
These changes aim to reduce the ability of big parties to control Parliament, especially the ruling Freedom and Justice Party, while giving more opportunities to smaller groups.
The reforms, however, do not seem to have changed the position of those in the boycott camp.
“I boycott elections because the supervisory body is not independent. Moreover, why would I give my vote to a party that is incapable of making decisions, despite heading the government? The elections in Morocco do not lead to institutions that rule,” said 27-year-old Saber Imdanyen, the head of the National Union for Moroccan Students.
“I am politically active but I never take part in elections,” he said.
Morocco adopted a new constitution in 2011 in response to the February 20 Movement, the local version of the Arab uprisings. The step brought the country closer to a system of constitutional monarchy, but, in reality, the king has the final say.
For 21-year-old Nouhaila Hafid, who is taking part in the election for the first time as both a candidate and a voter, voting is her chance “to have a say in my life path and in the big choices my country will make in the coming years".
“I didn’t use to be interested in politics but after a while, I realised that this was wrong … [Voting] is like laying the first stone in a project that you drew up yourself,” said Hafid, who is running for a seat in the Local Council of Marrakech on the ruling Justice and Development Party’s list.
This story was written in collaboration with Egab.
SPECS
Toyota land Cruiser 2020 5.7L VXR
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Transmission: eight-speed automatic
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Torque: 530Nm
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Places to go for free coffee
- Cherish Cafe Dubai, Dubai Investment Park, are giving away free coffees all day.
- La Terrace, Four Points by Sheraton Bur Dubai, are serving their first 50 guests one coffee and four bite-sized cakes
- Wild & The Moon will be giving away a free espresso with every purchase on International Coffee Day
- Orange Wheels welcome parents are to sit, relax and enjoy goodies at ‘Café O’ along with a free coffee
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group B
Barcelona v Tottenham Hotspur, midnight
The currency conundrum
Russ Mould, investment director at online trading platform AJ Bell, says almost every major currency has challenges right now. “The US has a huge budget deficit, the euro faces political friction and poor growth, sterling is bogged down by Brexit, China’s renminbi is hit by debt fears while slowing Chinese growth is hurting commodity exporters like Australia and Canada.”
Most countries now actively want a weak currency to make their exports more competitive. “China seems happy to let the renminbi drift lower, the Swiss are still running quantitative easing at full tilt and central bankers everywhere are actively talking down their currencies or offering only limited support," says Mr Mould.
This is a race to the bottom, and everybody wants to be a winner.
Why are you, you?
Why are you, you?
From this question, a new beginning.
From this question, a new destiny.
For you are a world, and a meeting of worlds.
Our dream is to unite that which has been
separated by history.
To return the many to the one.
A great story unites us all,
beyond colour and creed and gender.
The lightning flash of art
And the music of the heart.
We reflect all cultures, all ways.
We are a twenty first century wonder.
Universal ideals, visions of art and truth.
Now is the turning point of cultures and hopes.
Come with questions, leave with visions.
We are the link between the past and the future.
Here, through art, new possibilities are born. And
new answers are given wings.
Why are you, you?
Because we are mirrors of each other.
Because together we create new worlds.
Together we are more powerful than we know.
We connect, we inspire, we multiply illuminations
with the unique light of art.
Ben Okri,
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The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Normcore explained
Something of a fashion anomaly, normcore is essentially a celebration of the unremarkable. The term was first popularised by an article in New York magazine in 2014 and has been dubbed “ugly”, “bland’ and "anti-style" by fashion writers. It’s hallmarks are comfort, a lack of pretentiousness and neutrality – it is a trend for those who would rather not stand out from the crowd. For the most part, the style is unisex, favouring loose silhouettes, thrift-shop threads, baseball caps and boyish trainers. It is important to note that normcore is not synonymous with cheapness or low quality; there are high-fashion brands, including Parisian label Vetements, that specialise in this style. Embraced by fashion-forward street-style stars around the globe, it’s uptake in the UAE has been relatively slow.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
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MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 2 (Benzema 13', Kroos 28')
Barcelona 1 (Mingueza 60')
Red card: Casemiro (Real Madrid)
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Trippier bio
Date of birth September 19, 1990
Place of birth Bury, United Kingdom
Age 26
Height 1.74 metres
Nationality England
Position Right-back
Foot Right
FA Cup quarter-final draw
The matches will be played across the weekend of 21 and 22 March
Sheffield United v Arsenal
Newcastle v Manchester City
Norwich v Derby/Manchester United
Leicester City v Chelsea
TALE OF THE TAPE
Manny Pacquiao
Record: 59-6-2 (38 KOs)
Age: 38
Weight: 146lbs
Height: 166cm
Reach: 170cm
Jeff Horn
Record: 16-0-1 (11 KOs)
Age: 29
Weight: 146.2lbs
Height: 175cm
Reach: 173cm
