Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09RABAT604
2009-07-14 18:37:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Rabat
Cable title:
WOMEN LEAD MOROCCO'S "PETITE REVOLUTION"
how-toVZCZCXRO7107 PP RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDE RUEHDH RUEHGI RUEHJS RUEHKUK RUEHLH RUEHPW RUEHROV RUEHTRO DE RUEHRB #0604/01 1951837 ZNR UUUUU ZZH P 141837Z JUL 09 FM AMEMBASSY RABAT TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0410 INFO RUCNISL/ISLAMIC COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUCNMGH/MAGHREB COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0954
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 RABAT 000604
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
STATE FOR G, G/IWI, NEA/MAG, NEA/PI AND DRL/NESCA
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KWMN KISL KDEM KMPI SOCI MO
SUBJECT: WOMEN LEAD MOROCCO'S "PETITE REVOLUTION"
REF: A. STATE 071325
B. RABAT 0485
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 RABAT 000604
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
STATE FOR G, G/IWI, NEA/MAG, NEA/PI AND DRL/NESCA
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KWMN KISL KDEM KMPI SOCI MO
SUBJECT: WOMEN LEAD MOROCCO'S "PETITE REVOLUTION"
REF: A. STATE 071325
B. RABAT 0485
1. (SBU) Summary: In what is being hailed in the press as
the "petite revolution," a dozen women have been elected by
their men and women peers to chair local councils, making
them mayors or the equivalent rural executives. Prior to the
June 12 municipal elections, only one woman had ever served
as mayor of a Moroccan city. A U.S.-educated woman became a
regional celebrity when she was elected as the Mayor of
Marrakesh, Morocco's biggest tourist destination, but on July
13 the election in her district was invalidated due to voting
irregularities. The mayor,s post will be left open for now,
and if appeals fail, there will be a revote. Women won 3,400
seats around the Kingdom in the election, a twenty-five fold
increase in elected women officials in the country. Although
most were elected on a reserved women's list, hundreds were
elected on general lists, at least tripling the number
elected in competition with men. With the women relatively
more qualified than their male counterparts, this marks a
turning point for women's political participation in Morocco.
Morocco now has more elected women officials than any other
Arab country and has dramatically increased the visibility of
women as leaders and policy makers, a critical step in
shattering gender stereotypes and eliminating discrimination
against women. End Summary.
--------------
Women as Political Actors
--------------
2. (SBU) The Government of Morocco's (GOM,s) emphasis on
bringing more women into the political sphere is likely to
have a lasting long-term impact on women's political
participation. For the first time but likely not the last,
women played a central role in the election process and
outcome.
3. (SBU) As both candidates and voters, women participated
in this election in greater numbers than ever before. As
reported Ref B, an astonishing 20,400 women ran for office,
nearly 16 percent of the total number of candidates. Just a
decade ago, women made up less than 2 percent of candidates
in the municipal elections and held few seats in local
government. Embassy election observers noted that, in some
areas, women voters outnumbered men by two to one.
4. (SBU) Despite some resistance by the political parties,
women were generally well represented on the party lists (in
addition to the lists reserved for female candidates). Women
candidates were elected from the party lists in greater
numbers than ever before, illustrating the growing political
clout of the increasing number of female politicians who
would have been elected even without a quota. In Morocco,
council members both from the regular and reserved lists get
together and elect from their number a chair, who has
executive power as the mayor, then go on to similarly choose
provincial, regional and national representatives.
--------------
Involving Women the Cornerstone of Success
--------------
5. (SBU) To maximize their electoral share, political
parties have felt the competitive pressure to recruit and
promote women candidates in order to gain the maximum number
of reserved seats, as well as additional campaign funds from
the GOM. Those parties that resisted giving women valuable
slots on the general party lists (reftel),restricting their
female candidates to the bare minimum required under the
quota, fared poorly in the elections. The Socialist Union of
Popular Forces (USFP) was particularly impacted by this
practice, as many of its strongest female activists defected
to other parties, such as the Party of Authenticity and
Modernity (PAM) after unsuccessfully lobbying for top seats
on the ticket. One USFP candidate noted, "The government and
the people may be ready for women leaders, but the political
parties are not."
6. (SBU) In contrast, PAM's successful recruitment of women
candidates likely played a key role in the party's
significant showing in the elections. PAM did the best job
of enlisting women for its ticket, highlighting women
candidates during the election and keeping women candidates
in the spotlight. Prior to the election, PAM aggressively
targeted female incumbents from other parties, offering top
spots on the party lists to those who defected, a tempting
RABAT 00000604 002 OF 003
offer for those women who were at the time fighting their own
parties for equivalent treatment.
7. (SBU) The Islamist-inspired Party of Justice and
Development (PJD) was likely the second best recruiter of
women. Embassy contacts reported that many women were
attracted to the PJD because it is considered the most
transparent and honest party with internal democratic
practices (contrasted with the smoky back room decision
making and "old-boy" networks of the older parties).
--------------
PAM Uses Women to Debate Modern Values
--------------
8. (SBU) PAM used its women candidates to distinguish itself
from other parties and to put forth a vision of Morocco that
embraces modernity and the relatively new Moudawana (the
revised Family Code, which is gaining increasing
application). The emphasis on women helped PAM win the most
votes and most seats of any party in the council election.
9. (SBU) PAM candidate Fatima Zohra Mansouri, who studied
law in the U.S. and is a descendant of the Pasha of
Marrakesh, was elected by the council to be the Mayor of
Marrakesh, Morocco's premier tourist destination. However,
due to voting irregularities in the district from which she
was elected, an administrative tribunal discarded the
election results and is requiring a revote. The press
reported on July 13 that Mansouri was removed as Mayor
pending the outcome of the new elections. However, the PAM
is planning to appeal this decision. Given that Mansouri, a
mother of two young children who prefers professional Western
suits, has become Morocco's most recognizable elected woman
leader, a regional celebrity, and something of a test case
for women leaders elsewhere, we expect PAM to push hard for
her to regain her seat as Mayor. Should the revote take
place, we expect Mansouri to regain her seat.
10. (SBU) Carrying its modernizing message to rural voters,
the PAM nominated Fatima Boujnah, a 21 year old, educated,
rural woman to be president of her municipal council. She
has broken ground as the youngest woman to be elected as a
council president. Prior to the election, she had been
working to improve social welfare in her town and has
announced that education and literacy, especially for girls,
will be a major focus of her tenure.
11. (SBU) Another well-publicized PAM candidate,
U.S.-educated Kawtar Benahmou, appeared on a tractor (the PAM
symbol) during the campaign wearing a tank top, long hair,
and fashion sunglasses. This image, probably the most widely
publicized picture from the electoral campaign, contrasted
sharply with the full-length chador-clad women candidates of
the Islamist-inspired PJD, and the PJD's emphasis on
"properly" wearing the veil (not with tight jeans, for
example). It should be noted, however, that the PJD, which
has a strong component of women activists, also elected a
large number of women.
--------------
The Need for a Quota
--------------
12. (SBU) Although the greater inclusion of women in public
life has been widely applauded in urban centers, resistance
to women as political actors persists in rural and semi-urban
areas. According to a MEPI-funded focus group study on
perceptions of women in politics, men in these areas continue
to strongly oppose female leadership of their communities.
This strong opposition justified the imposition of a quota on
women's participation, asserted political activist Nouzha
Ameziane. "Without the quota, the number of elected women
would have increased, but just barely," she insisted, adding
that greater numbers of women leaders will accustom the
Moroccan public to seeing women in positions of power and
pave the way for greater gender equity in politics.
--------------
Quality, Not Just Quantity
--------------
13. (SBU) Th influx of these new women leaders, selectively
recruited for their educational and professional
qualifications, has had the added advantage of raising the
average level of education of elected officials overseeing
the services provided by local governments, including water,
RABAT 00000604 003 OF 003
electricity, sanitation, public transportation and economic
development. According to the GOM, more than 70 percent of
the women elected hold secondary degrees or higher. In
comparison, only 50 percent of elected men have reached the
same level of education.
--------------
Comment
--------------
14. (SBU) The outcome of the June 12 election was a major
leap forward by Moroccan women, capping a decade of
increasing political involvement. On top of the roughly 10
percent in the Chamber of Deputies (Parliament,s lower
house),women constitute 21 percent of the ministers
nominated by the King to Prime Minister El Fassi's Council of
Ministers. The success of the PAM, which made women the
center of their campaign strategy, was a particularly salient
lesson to its political rivals that increasing inclusion of
women in politics will actually confer an electoral
advantage. This appeal to political self-interest should
help broaden political support for the Palace's efforts to
use women's political participation to advance social
development. The next phase of consolidation will depend on
the performance of the newly installed women leaders. Their
success, and public acknowledgment of that success, will
advance the cause of gender equality in Moroccan society.
15. (SBU) The Mission will continue to monitor how women
fare in contests for the regional, provincial, and upper
house of Parliament seats, as these cascading elections take
place over the next few months. We have also begun an
initial program of training some of the elected women
councilors, in this case preparing them to contest the
indirect elections for the provincial and regional councils
and which fill one third of the upper house. We are looking
at possibilities for additional training and support for the
new office holders, including long-term mentoring, from both
existing and possible new USG-funded programs, as part of an
increasing gender focus in our assistance programs and
mission plan. As part of this, we may wish to see how our
existing programs and resources can be focused or deployed to
support and encourage this new generation of women activists
and politicians. End Comment.
*****************************************
Visit Embassy Rabat's Classified Website;
http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Moro cco
*****************************************
Jackson
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
STATE FOR G, G/IWI, NEA/MAG, NEA/PI AND DRL/NESCA
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KWMN KISL KDEM KMPI SOCI MO
SUBJECT: WOMEN LEAD MOROCCO'S "PETITE REVOLUTION"
REF: A. STATE 071325
B. RABAT 0485
1. (SBU) Summary: In what is being hailed in the press as
the "petite revolution," a dozen women have been elected by
their men and women peers to chair local councils, making
them mayors or the equivalent rural executives. Prior to the
June 12 municipal elections, only one woman had ever served
as mayor of a Moroccan city. A U.S.-educated woman became a
regional celebrity when she was elected as the Mayor of
Marrakesh, Morocco's biggest tourist destination, but on July
13 the election in her district was invalidated due to voting
irregularities. The mayor,s post will be left open for now,
and if appeals fail, there will be a revote. Women won 3,400
seats around the Kingdom in the election, a twenty-five fold
increase in elected women officials in the country. Although
most were elected on a reserved women's list, hundreds were
elected on general lists, at least tripling the number
elected in competition with men. With the women relatively
more qualified than their male counterparts, this marks a
turning point for women's political participation in Morocco.
Morocco now has more elected women officials than any other
Arab country and has dramatically increased the visibility of
women as leaders and policy makers, a critical step in
shattering gender stereotypes and eliminating discrimination
against women. End Summary.
--------------
Women as Political Actors
--------------
2. (SBU) The Government of Morocco's (GOM,s) emphasis on
bringing more women into the political sphere is likely to
have a lasting long-term impact on women's political
participation. For the first time but likely not the last,
women played a central role in the election process and
outcome.
3. (SBU) As both candidates and voters, women participated
in this election in greater numbers than ever before. As
reported Ref B, an astonishing 20,400 women ran for office,
nearly 16 percent of the total number of candidates. Just a
decade ago, women made up less than 2 percent of candidates
in the municipal elections and held few seats in local
government. Embassy election observers noted that, in some
areas, women voters outnumbered men by two to one.
4. (SBU) Despite some resistance by the political parties,
women were generally well represented on the party lists (in
addition to the lists reserved for female candidates). Women
candidates were elected from the party lists in greater
numbers than ever before, illustrating the growing political
clout of the increasing number of female politicians who
would have been elected even without a quota. In Morocco,
council members both from the regular and reserved lists get
together and elect from their number a chair, who has
executive power as the mayor, then go on to similarly choose
provincial, regional and national representatives.
--------------
Involving Women the Cornerstone of Success
--------------
5. (SBU) To maximize their electoral share, political
parties have felt the competitive pressure to recruit and
promote women candidates in order to gain the maximum number
of reserved seats, as well as additional campaign funds from
the GOM. Those parties that resisted giving women valuable
slots on the general party lists (reftel),restricting their
female candidates to the bare minimum required under the
quota, fared poorly in the elections. The Socialist Union of
Popular Forces (USFP) was particularly impacted by this
practice, as many of its strongest female activists defected
to other parties, such as the Party of Authenticity and
Modernity (PAM) after unsuccessfully lobbying for top seats
on the ticket. One USFP candidate noted, "The government and
the people may be ready for women leaders, but the political
parties are not."
6. (SBU) In contrast, PAM's successful recruitment of women
candidates likely played a key role in the party's
significant showing in the elections. PAM did the best job
of enlisting women for its ticket, highlighting women
candidates during the election and keeping women candidates
in the spotlight. Prior to the election, PAM aggressively
targeted female incumbents from other parties, offering top
spots on the party lists to those who defected, a tempting
RABAT 00000604 002 OF 003
offer for those women who were at the time fighting their own
parties for equivalent treatment.
7. (SBU) The Islamist-inspired Party of Justice and
Development (PJD) was likely the second best recruiter of
women. Embassy contacts reported that many women were
attracted to the PJD because it is considered the most
transparent and honest party with internal democratic
practices (contrasted with the smoky back room decision
making and "old-boy" networks of the older parties).
--------------
PAM Uses Women to Debate Modern Values
--------------
8. (SBU) PAM used its women candidates to distinguish itself
from other parties and to put forth a vision of Morocco that
embraces modernity and the relatively new Moudawana (the
revised Family Code, which is gaining increasing
application). The emphasis on women helped PAM win the most
votes and most seats of any party in the council election.
9. (SBU) PAM candidate Fatima Zohra Mansouri, who studied
law in the U.S. and is a descendant of the Pasha of
Marrakesh, was elected by the council to be the Mayor of
Marrakesh, Morocco's premier tourist destination. However,
due to voting irregularities in the district from which she
was elected, an administrative tribunal discarded the
election results and is requiring a revote. The press
reported on July 13 that Mansouri was removed as Mayor
pending the outcome of the new elections. However, the PAM
is planning to appeal this decision. Given that Mansouri, a
mother of two young children who prefers professional Western
suits, has become Morocco's most recognizable elected woman
leader, a regional celebrity, and something of a test case
for women leaders elsewhere, we expect PAM to push hard for
her to regain her seat as Mayor. Should the revote take
place, we expect Mansouri to regain her seat.
10. (SBU) Carrying its modernizing message to rural voters,
the PAM nominated Fatima Boujnah, a 21 year old, educated,
rural woman to be president of her municipal council. She
has broken ground as the youngest woman to be elected as a
council president. Prior to the election, she had been
working to improve social welfare in her town and has
announced that education and literacy, especially for girls,
will be a major focus of her tenure.
11. (SBU) Another well-publicized PAM candidate,
U.S.-educated Kawtar Benahmou, appeared on a tractor (the PAM
symbol) during the campaign wearing a tank top, long hair,
and fashion sunglasses. This image, probably the most widely
publicized picture from the electoral campaign, contrasted
sharply with the full-length chador-clad women candidates of
the Islamist-inspired PJD, and the PJD's emphasis on
"properly" wearing the veil (not with tight jeans, for
example). It should be noted, however, that the PJD, which
has a strong component of women activists, also elected a
large number of women.
--------------
The Need for a Quota
--------------
12. (SBU) Although the greater inclusion of women in public
life has been widely applauded in urban centers, resistance
to women as political actors persists in rural and semi-urban
areas. According to a MEPI-funded focus group study on
perceptions of women in politics, men in these areas continue
to strongly oppose female leadership of their communities.
This strong opposition justified the imposition of a quota on
women's participation, asserted political activist Nouzha
Ameziane. "Without the quota, the number of elected women
would have increased, but just barely," she insisted, adding
that greater numbers of women leaders will accustom the
Moroccan public to seeing women in positions of power and
pave the way for greater gender equity in politics.
--------------
Quality, Not Just Quantity
--------------
13. (SBU) Th influx of these new women leaders, selectively
recruited for their educational and professional
qualifications, has had the added advantage of raising the
average level of education of elected officials overseeing
the services provided by local governments, including water,
RABAT 00000604 003 OF 003
electricity, sanitation, public transportation and economic
development. According to the GOM, more than 70 percent of
the women elected hold secondary degrees or higher. In
comparison, only 50 percent of elected men have reached the
same level of education.
--------------
Comment
--------------
14. (SBU) The outcome of the June 12 election was a major
leap forward by Moroccan women, capping a decade of
increasing political involvement. On top of the roughly 10
percent in the Chamber of Deputies (Parliament,s lower
house),women constitute 21 percent of the ministers
nominated by the King to Prime Minister El Fassi's Council of
Ministers. The success of the PAM, which made women the
center of their campaign strategy, was a particularly salient
lesson to its political rivals that increasing inclusion of
women in politics will actually confer an electoral
advantage. This appeal to political self-interest should
help broaden political support for the Palace's efforts to
use women's political participation to advance social
development. The next phase of consolidation will depend on
the performance of the newly installed women leaders. Their
success, and public acknowledgment of that success, will
advance the cause of gender equality in Moroccan society.
15. (SBU) The Mission will continue to monitor how women
fare in contests for the regional, provincial, and upper
house of Parliament seats, as these cascading elections take
place over the next few months. We have also begun an
initial program of training some of the elected women
councilors, in this case preparing them to contest the
indirect elections for the provincial and regional councils
and which fill one third of the upper house. We are looking
at possibilities for additional training and support for the
new office holders, including long-term mentoring, from both
existing and possible new USG-funded programs, as part of an
increasing gender focus in our assistance programs and
mission plan. As part of this, we may wish to see how our
existing programs and resources can be focused or deployed to
support and encourage this new generation of women activists
and politicians. End Comment.
*****************************************
Visit Embassy Rabat's Classified Website;
http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Moro cco
*****************************************
Jackson