Rabat – Morocco’s Minister of Interior Abdelouafi Laftit announced on Monday that the number of people who filled in the census forms to perform the military service has reached 133,820.
The Ministry of Interior announced the launch of a period of military conscriptions in April, with registrations ending on June 7.
During this period, according to Laftit, 133,80 people have filled in the census forms, including 13,614 female volunteers.
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The minister said that regional committees across Morocco will hold meetings starting June 17 to consolidate the lists of citizens who have chosen to register.
Before the end of June, the central committee will also hold a meeting to set specific criteria for the selection of conscripts chosen to perform the military service for the year 2019, added the ministry.
The number of people who filled the census forms exceed the number required by the ministry. The department currently aim to recruit a total of 10,000 Moroccans into the service and will select recruits from the 133,820 who registered.
In response to the call to military service, young people aged 19 to 25 were invited to fill the census form on the website tajnid.ma upon receipt of a notice from local administrative authorities.
The statistics shared by the Ministry of Interior starkly contrast with the heavy criticism that the government received when it announced the return of obligatory military service.
Some Moroccans expressed concerns that = military service would single out people from the lower and middle classes.
In 2018, however, the government rejected the claims, assuring the public that the law will apply to citizens from all social classes.
In August 2018, the Royal Cabinet said that the compulsory “military service aims to promote patriotism among the young, within the framework of the correlation between the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.” With this aim, the law is seen as a way to encourage loyalty to the state among young people.
The reintroduction of obligatory military service in Morocco, which came under King Mohammed VI’s instructions, is in line with the provisions of Article 38 of the Constitution. The article emphasizes that all citizens should contribute to the defense of the homeland and its territorial integrity.
Before the reintroduction of the program, Moroccans were subject to 18-month military service in accordance with Royal Decree 137-66 in 1966.
In 1999, however, Morocco reduced the length of service to 12 months and abolished mandatory service completely in 2006.
People with financial dependents or disabilities will be exempted from the military service. However, people over the age of 25 who were previously exempted can still be called up until the age of 40 if the reason for their exemption is no longer relevant.
