September 24, 2007
"Poor participation marred the process despite significant get-out-the-vote efforts by the government as well as political parties and civil society organizations."
The outcome of the 2007 parliamentary elections in Morocco does not change the country’s political scene fundamentally. The grand narrative of political continuity amid slow gradual liberalizing reforms has once again proven persistent. However, the unprecedented low voter turnout, symbolizing as it does a growing mistrust of politics, represents a challenge to both the monarchy and the political parties. There is a clear paradox in Moroccan politics; even as the country has taken significant steps toward opening up the political sphere and gradually expanding the scope of pluralism, popular interest in electoral politics has been decreasing as the election results attest. Access the full article>>