Istiqlal Party Pushes for Voting Rights of Moroccan Expatriates in 2021 Elections

Nizar Baraka seized this opportunity to express all the interest he attaches to the issue of guaranteeing the political and institutional participation of Moroccans of the world and the activation of the requirements of the Constitution in this regard. "It is now high time to work to guarantee Moroccans residing abroad the right to be politically represented and to fully participate in the democratic process of our country and in decision-making," he declared, specifying that "this can only be done from Parliament."

It is in this sense that the proposals of the Balance Party to ensure and take into account the representation of the Moroccan community abroad in the House of Representatives, through candidacies submitted within the framework of the proposed regional list, instead of the national list, are inscribed, reports the newspaper of the political formation L’Opinion. The media indicates that this is within the framework of the joint memorandum on political and electoral reforms with the main opposition parties, a document that insists on the strict application of Article 17 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right of Moroccans residing abroad to be voters and eligible.

Mohammed Saoud, a Moroccan residing abroad, member of the Executive Committee of the Party, in charge of Moroccans of the world and immigration affairs, recalls the pioneering role of the Istiqlal in defending their rights, by bringing the issue to the Benkirane government, with a memorandum on the right to vote and representation of Moroccans residing abroad in Parliament and possibly in the second Chamber. "Today, under the mandate of Secretary General Nizar Baraka, the Party is still by the side of Moroccans residing abroad on this important issue. We believe that we cannot exclude 6 million Moroccan citizens from public affairs," he concluded.