Rabat – Five people are facing investigation over alleged irregularities involving electoral ballots in Tangier, according to a statement from the Attorney General at the Tangier Court of Appeal.
The case follows an earlier investigation launched after an individual was found carrying a bag containing electoral ballots, according to the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
The latest statement said five suspects were arrested and placed in police custody as part of the investigation. They include two polling station chairpersons, their two deputies, and another individual.
Four of the suspects were presented to the Public Prosecutor’s Office on Saturday, while investigations into the fifth suspect, who remains in police custody, are still ongoing.
Investigation into removed ballots
According to preliminary findings cited by the Attorney General, the suspect found carrying the bag was a deputy chairperson of a polling station.
Investigators allege that the suspect removed a number of ballots from inside the polling station with the assistance of the station’s chairperson.
The ballots were allegedly placed in a bag and taken outside the school where the polling station was located.
The statement added that the ballots were later returned to the polling stations in coordination with the other individuals allegedly involved in the case.
Investigators also found that the type of ink used on the seized ballots differed from the ink used at the polling stations, according to the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Based on the preliminary findings, the Public Prosecutor’s Office requested that an investigating judge open a formal inquiry into the suspects while they remain in pretrial detention.
The suspects are being investigated on suspicion of violating voting procedures, forgery, and complicity in those alleged offenses.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office said it will continue to follow the case and take the necessary legal measures to establish all the circumstances surrounding the incident and identify anyone else who may have been involved.
Case comes after September 23 elections
The investigation comes just days after Morocco held its legislative elections on September 23 to elect members of the House of Representatives.
The election marked the beginning of the process of forming Morocco’s next government. According to Morocco’s official election timetable, the provisional results have been announced, while the final stage involves validating the results and appointing a new Head of Government.
The Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) emerged as the largest party with 97 seats, followed by the National Rally of Independents (RNI) with 66 seats and the Istiqlal Party with 65, according to preliminary results reported after the vote.
Under Article 47 of Morocco’s Constitution, the King appoints the Head of Government from the political party that comes first in the elections for the House of Representatives.
PAM’s first-place finish therefore puts the party at the center of the government-formation process. However, the party does not hold enough seats to form a government alone, meaning coalition-building remains necessary.
As political parties begin discussions over the next government, the Tangier investigation adds a legal dimension to the immediate post-election period.
The case remains under judicial investigation, and the allegations against the suspects have yet to be determined by a final court ruling.
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