ELECTORAL CODE AMENDMENT PASSED

C O N F I D E N T I A L RABAT 002237 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/MAG, NEA/PI E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/08/2016 TAGS: PGOV KDEM MO SUBJECT: ELECTORAL CODE AMENDMENT PASSED REF: RABAT 02176 Classified By: PolCouns Craig Karp. Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: After months of debate between the Ministry of Interior and the political parties, the amendments to the new electoral code have been adopted by Parliament. The new law bars parties that failed to win at least 3% of the vote in the 2002 elections from running in the 2007 elections. The bill maintains the current proportional representation system, but increases the percentage of votes a party must obtain to enter parliament from 3 to 6 percent. The millions of Moroccans living abroad will also be allowed to vote in the legislative elections. The amendments are seen as part of a palace strategy to encourage/force the small parties to merge into larger blocs, in part to create counterweight to the growing vote of the Islamist PJD. The number of parties on the ballot, which can be counted in the dozens, will shrink dramatically, to around 10 or fewer. Understandably, small parties have heavily protested the changes, echoed less forcefully by the PJD, which may hope to pick up some protest votes. Their protests will likely not halt implementation of the amendments, however. End Summary. ¶2. (U) Both houses of Parliament have now passed eleven amendments to the existing electoral code. Chakib Benmoussa, Minister of the Interior, told the Commission of the Interior and Decentralization on December 5 that the government of Morocco (GOM) believed reducing the number of electoral parties from over 20 to about a dozen would improve democracy and efficiency. In addition, for the elections, he said the GOM would adopt a stance of "positive neutrality" and place special emphasis on fighting corruption. ¶3. (U) The amendments require: --A candidate must be a member of a political party to participate in the elections. --Political parties to have had 3 percent of the national vote in 2002 in order to field candidates for the lower house in 2007. If parties did not have 3 percent of the vote, then they may have locally-listed candidates only if they have 100 signatures on a petition. For nationally-listed candidates, the petition must have 1,000 signatures from eight of the sixteen regions. Small political parties have objected to this amendment (reftel). There are approximately 44 parties, more than 20 of them formerly electorally qualified; some estimate that three-quarters of the parties will not be able to field candidates in the election. --A political party to have 6 percent of the total vote in order to be represented in parliament, that is have a seat. --All voter lists to be reviewed in detail. --Expatriate Moroccans will be able to vote in the elections, and they will be able to review voter lists at embassies and consulates. ¶4. (C) Comment: After passing Parliament, the amendments must now go to the Council of Ministers before the King would sign into law. As this is a Palace-inspired measure, significant additional changes are not expected. We assess that the provision for getting on the ballot by petition would likely provide sufficient mechanism for the inclusion of new or significant political forces. The small parties, many of which live off government subventions, will be hurt, but overall this change is likely to result in more, rather than less, political modernization and reform. End Comment. ****************************************** Visit Embassy Rabat's Classified Website; http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/rabat ****************************************** Riley