Morocco’s 2021 general elections are set to take place in September, Le360 reported today, citing “concordant sources.”
According to the same source, next year’s elections will include three votes — municipal, regional, and legislative elections — on the same day.
Municipal and regional elections decide which political parties will lead local and regional councils. Meanwhile, the legislative election determines the number of seats each party earns at Morocco’s House of Representatives.
Traditionally, the different elections take place on separate days. According to Le360’s sources, the decision to hold the three elections on the same day — with three separate ballots — aims to increase voter turnout. In 2016, Morocco’s general elections had a turnout of 46%.
The sources expect the government to include the unprecedented measure of holding the three elections on the same day in a new electoral law.
According to Le360’s report, a large number of political parties suggested that the elections take place on a Wednesday, during the month of September.
The upcoming general elections, which will come as Morocco recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic and its socio-economic impact, will be decisive.
The legislative election, especially, holds utmost importance for the country’s political sphere. It will not only determine the membership of the House of Representatives, but also the future head of government.
Some of the most prominent parties that will compete for the leadership position are the ruling Justice and Development Party (PJD), the National Rally of Independents (RNI), and the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), among others.
In the House of Representatives, meanwhile, the election will decide on the division of 395 parliamentary seats between parties. In 2016, PJD earned 125 seats, followed by PAM (102 seats), Istiqlal Party (46), RNI (37), and the Popular Movement (27).
