2026 elections: Morocco’s rights council reports two ‘isolated’ incidents, says vote was ‘transparent’

The president of the National Human Rights Council (CNDH), Amina Bouayach.

VideoThe National Human Rights Council (CNDH) and 25 other associations deployed hundreds of observers across polling stations on Wednesday to monitor the legislative elections. Their overall assessment was positive. Here are the details.

On 25/09/2026 at 09h30

The CNDH covered 733 municipalities out of a total of 1,538, including 542 rural and 191 urban municipalities, particularly areas affected by the Atlas earthquake and those hit by floods. The council deployed observers at 3,915 polling stations out of 40,700, giving it a coverage rate of around 8.9%, above the international standard of 3% to 5%. In addition, 1,644 polling stations also hosted international observers.

Overall, according to CNDH President Amina Bouayach, the election took place in a normal atmosphere, with two isolated incidents that did not affect the voting process. The CNDH detailed only one of them: in Tangier, at Al Qods School, a person was arrested while in possession of ballot papers. The president praised the observers for sharing their findings with the council.

On the turnout rate, which stood at 38%, Amina Bouayach said it was “a warning to elected institutions,” which must now step up their efforts to “review the situation.” The message from the 2026 elections, she stressed, “raises questions” about the link between political rights and the effective exercise of these duties, as well as “the consolidation of trust” needed to engage young people and citizens in the electoral process.

James Mouangue Kobila, president of Cameroon’s Human Rights Commission, also told Le360 that he had closely followed the election, which he said took place under good conditions. He observed four polling centers in Tangier, covering diverse sociocultural profiles in order to “ensure representativeness.”

By Mohamed Chakir Alaoui and Yassine Mannan
On 25/09/2026 at 09h30