The International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) said Morocco’s legislative elections held on September 23 were conducted “freely, credibly and transparently, in accordance with the legal framework in force.”
In a preliminary statement issued Monday by its election observation mission, which has been in Morocco since September 15, the OIF “welcomes the mobilization of Moroccan voters who fulfilled their civic duty responsibly and demonstrated their commitment to exercising their democratic rights.”
The OIF statement also “welcomes the reforms aimed at strengthening the Moroccan electoral system in line with international standards,” noting that “the electoral legal framework in force for these elections respects the principles of democratic elections.”
In this context, the OIF election mission noted that “amendments have been made to this legal framework, particularly to strengthen the integrity of candidates as well as the participation of women and young people, notably through an incentive-based funding mechanism for political parties.”
The legislation governing audiovisual media, the preliminary statement added, “guarantees equitable access for political parties and balanced news coverage during the electoral period.”
It also noted that “the main institutions responsible for organizing and overseeing elections and regulating the media demonstrated a strong command of their respective responsibilities and remained consistently mobilized throughout the electoral campaign.”
Led by André-Magnus Ekoumou, Ambassador of the Republic of Cameroon to France and Personal Representative of the Head of State to the OIF, the mission included the President of the High Court of Justice and a member of Benin’s Constitutional Court, a member of Canada’s House of Commons and member of the Francophone Parliamentary Assembly’s network of young parliamentarians, as well as Francophone experts from member states and governments of the organization.
