Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07RABAT1335
2007-08-23 14:01:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Rabat
Cable title:
STAFFDEL CAMMACK:THE MOROCCAN ELECTORAL ORCHESTRA
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RABAT 001335
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR NEA/MAG, NEA/PI, DRL, LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/17/2017
TAGS: PGOV KDEM MO OREP OVIP
SUBJECT: STAFFDEL CAMMACK:THE MOROCCAN ELECTORAL ORCHESTRA
REF: RABAT 01331
Classified By: Polcouns Craig Karp. Reasons l.4 (B) and (D).
--------------
SUMMARY
--------------
(C) The Moroccan Election Director told us that election
monitors were welcome to confirm what he expected to be the
most free and fair elections in Morocco's history on
September 7. He added that the Ministry of Interior and the
king were "out of the business of running elections" and
sought only to facilitate Moroccan development and progress
through free and fair voting. He gave an overview of the
election system and talked at length about monitors' access
to polling stations (reftel). End Summary.
-------------- --------------
MOI CONDUCTING THE ORCHESTRA, NOT WRITING THE SCORE
-------------- --------------
2. (C) During an August 10 meeting at Ministry of Interior
(MOI) with Senate Foreign Relations Committee Staff Member
Perry Cammack, Polcouns, and Poloff, Moroccan Director of
Elections Hassan Aghmari likened his role to that of an
orchestra conductor ensuring that every instrument plays its
part in the "electoral symphony." He also said that the king
is out of the business of running elections. "The king is
now a citizen and the MOI carries the will of the people.
Observers will confirm this fact and we welcome them."
Aghmari said that elections were not the ultimate goal. The
development and progress that free and fair voting ushers in
was what he wanted to facilitate.
--------------
A SYSTEM MOVING TOWARDS EQUALITY
--------------
3. (U) Aghmari went on to explain Morocco's electoral
apportionment system. Out of a total of 325 seats in
Parliament, 295 represent local districts. 30 seats are
designated "at-large constituencies" and set aside solely for
women - the so called National List. He emphasized the fact
that the political parties themselves came with up the idea
for the National List and agreed upon it jointly. It was not
a governmental or royal initiative and is not written in the
law, but is a "moral attempt" to create gender equality in
the representational arena. At-large seats are assigned to
party candidates in accordance with their overall electoral
proportional status. Additionally, the parties have agreed
to internally allocate ten percent of local candidate slots
to women.
4. (U) From 1963 until 2002, Morocco used a "first past the
post" system in which the winning party took all seats in a
district. Beginning in 2002, a new proportional system was
introduced that would prevent any one party from taking
control of parliament and the government but instead forced
consensus through coalition building. In the new system, the
winning party is allocated one or two of the two-to-five
seats assigned to each electoral district. The second runner
up gets another, and the third another. If the winning party
exceeds a pre-determined number of votes, it receives an
additional seat, and the remaining seat or seats are divided
up between the next greatest vote getters.
--------------
THE MECHANICS OF MOROCCAN ELECTIONS
--------------
5. (U) Votingand electoral certification is conducted at
thre levels. The initial level where votes are cast i
managed by the Vote Bureau (VB). They are indeendent of the
MOI. The VBs tabulate results andtransmit their tallies and
ballots to the Centralzation Bureau (CB). The CB
consolidates and ceriies these results, and gives them to
the Provicial Commission (PC),which validates and announce
the results. Each unit at the different levelsconsists of a
president, secretary, member, and a alternate for each of
the preceding, although te President of the PC is a sitting
RABAT 00001335 002 OF 002
judge of the Court of First Instance. Political parties have
the right to designate representatives to observe each level
of the certification process. The National List is
adjudicated by the National Electoral Commission, whose
president is the President of the Supreme Court and members
are drawn from the Magistrates Chamber. The only organ
authorized to communicate directly with a Vote Bureau is its
supervisory Centralization Bureau.
6. (U) Aghmari also showed us a sample ballot which had just
come from the official printers. Parties were represented by
both written name and pictoral symbol to allow for illiterate
voters. Small or weak parties that have chosen to run a
"union list" with another party in hopes of consolidating
votes are represented on the far left of the ballot by a
joining of the two relevant parties' symbols and names.
Union parties can run either on the National List or locally.
7. (U) Moroccan law does not provide for absentee or proxy
voting by Moroccans living outside national borders because
individuals must be residents of their home district in order
to register and vote. Expatriates can, however, apply at a
Moroccan consulate or Embassy for a residency waiver in order
to return to their home district to register and vote.
--------------
FINANCING DEMOCRACY
--------------
8. (SBU) The GOM set aside 200 million Dirhams ($28
million) to fund parties' electoral activity. Parties are
eligible to receive thirty percent of their allotment as an
advance, and the GOM has already disbursed $7 million of that
total amount to support pre-campaign organization by parties.
Only the government and party members can contribute to
party coffers. Aghmari said that this helps ensure
objectivity "unlike in the United States." Funding, either
governmental or private, must be traceable and accounting
systems must be entirely transparent. Any state funds used
for un-approved purposes must be returned to the GOM.
--------------
COMMENT
--------------
9. (C) Aghmari appeared serious, determined, technically
competent, and sincere. This was the Embassy's first meeting
with him despite numerous previous requests to MOI liaison
officials. He spoke with conviction about the king's mandate
to the MOI to ensure a clean election. Initially trained in
business management, then in law, Aghmari chose a career in
the MOI. He was appointed to his post in 2006 for the
purpose of overseeing the September 2007 election. He
appears to be a reformer, unlike much of MOI's die-hard
cadre, but will still report to the leadership. End Comment.
10. (U) STAFFDEL Cammack did not have the opportunity to
clear this cable.
*****************************************
Visit Embassy Rabat's Classified Website;
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/rabat
*****************************************
RILEY
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR NEA/MAG, NEA/PI, DRL, LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/17/2017
TAGS: PGOV KDEM MO OREP OVIP
SUBJECT: STAFFDEL CAMMACK:THE MOROCCAN ELECTORAL ORCHESTRA
REF: RABAT 01331
Classified By: Polcouns Craig Karp. Reasons l.4 (B) and (D).
--------------
SUMMARY
--------------
(C) The Moroccan Election Director told us that election
monitors were welcome to confirm what he expected to be the
most free and fair elections in Morocco's history on
September 7. He added that the Ministry of Interior and the
king were "out of the business of running elections" and
sought only to facilitate Moroccan development and progress
through free and fair voting. He gave an overview of the
election system and talked at length about monitors' access
to polling stations (reftel). End Summary.
-------------- --------------
MOI CONDUCTING THE ORCHESTRA, NOT WRITING THE SCORE
-------------- --------------
2. (C) During an August 10 meeting at Ministry of Interior
(MOI) with Senate Foreign Relations Committee Staff Member
Perry Cammack, Polcouns, and Poloff, Moroccan Director of
Elections Hassan Aghmari likened his role to that of an
orchestra conductor ensuring that every instrument plays its
part in the "electoral symphony." He also said that the king
is out of the business of running elections. "The king is
now a citizen and the MOI carries the will of the people.
Observers will confirm this fact and we welcome them."
Aghmari said that elections were not the ultimate goal. The
development and progress that free and fair voting ushers in
was what he wanted to facilitate.
--------------
A SYSTEM MOVING TOWARDS EQUALITY
--------------
3. (U) Aghmari went on to explain Morocco's electoral
apportionment system. Out of a total of 325 seats in
Parliament, 295 represent local districts. 30 seats are
designated "at-large constituencies" and set aside solely for
women - the so called National List. He emphasized the fact
that the political parties themselves came with up the idea
for the National List and agreed upon it jointly. It was not
a governmental or royal initiative and is not written in the
law, but is a "moral attempt" to create gender equality in
the representational arena. At-large seats are assigned to
party candidates in accordance with their overall electoral
proportional status. Additionally, the parties have agreed
to internally allocate ten percent of local candidate slots
to women.
4. (U) From 1963 until 2002, Morocco used a "first past the
post" system in which the winning party took all seats in a
district. Beginning in 2002, a new proportional system was
introduced that would prevent any one party from taking
control of parliament and the government but instead forced
consensus through coalition building. In the new system, the
winning party is allocated one or two of the two-to-five
seats assigned to each electoral district. The second runner
up gets another, and the third another. If the winning party
exceeds a pre-determined number of votes, it receives an
additional seat, and the remaining seat or seats are divided
up between the next greatest vote getters.
--------------
THE MECHANICS OF MOROCCAN ELECTIONS
--------------
5. (U) Votingand electoral certification is conducted at
thre levels. The initial level where votes are cast i
managed by the Vote Bureau (VB). They are indeendent of the
MOI. The VBs tabulate results andtransmit their tallies and
ballots to the Centralzation Bureau (CB). The CB
consolidates and ceriies these results, and gives them to
the Provicial Commission (PC),which validates and announce
the results. Each unit at the different levelsconsists of a
president, secretary, member, and a alternate for each of
the preceding, although te President of the PC is a sitting
RABAT 00001335 002 OF 002
judge of the Court of First Instance. Political parties have
the right to designate representatives to observe each level
of the certification process. The National List is
adjudicated by the National Electoral Commission, whose
president is the President of the Supreme Court and members
are drawn from the Magistrates Chamber. The only organ
authorized to communicate directly with a Vote Bureau is its
supervisory Centralization Bureau.
6. (U) Aghmari also showed us a sample ballot which had just
come from the official printers. Parties were represented by
both written name and pictoral symbol to allow for illiterate
voters. Small or weak parties that have chosen to run a
"union list" with another party in hopes of consolidating
votes are represented on the far left of the ballot by a
joining of the two relevant parties' symbols and names.
Union parties can run either on the National List or locally.
7. (U) Moroccan law does not provide for absentee or proxy
voting by Moroccans living outside national borders because
individuals must be residents of their home district in order
to register and vote. Expatriates can, however, apply at a
Moroccan consulate or Embassy for a residency waiver in order
to return to their home district to register and vote.
--------------
FINANCING DEMOCRACY
--------------
8. (SBU) The GOM set aside 200 million Dirhams ($28
million) to fund parties' electoral activity. Parties are
eligible to receive thirty percent of their allotment as an
advance, and the GOM has already disbursed $7 million of that
total amount to support pre-campaign organization by parties.
Only the government and party members can contribute to
party coffers. Aghmari said that this helps ensure
objectivity "unlike in the United States." Funding, either
governmental or private, must be traceable and accounting
systems must be entirely transparent. Any state funds used
for un-approved purposes must be returned to the GOM.
--------------
COMMENT
--------------
9. (C) Aghmari appeared serious, determined, technically
competent, and sincere. This was the Embassy's first meeting
with him despite numerous previous requests to MOI liaison
officials. He spoke with conviction about the king's mandate
to the MOI to ensure a clean election. Initially trained in
business management, then in law, Aghmari chose a career in
the MOI. He was appointed to his post in 2006 for the
purpose of overseeing the September 2007 election. He
appears to be a reformer, unlike much of MOI's die-hard
cadre, but will still report to the leadership. End Comment.
10. (U) STAFFDEL Cammack did not have the opportunity to
clear this cable.
*****************************************
Visit Embassy Rabat's Classified Website;
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/rabat
*****************************************
RILEY