In Morocco, citizens rarely have the opportunity to interact with their members of parliament (MPs), particularly outside of election season. This is partly because the Moroccan parliament does not have an established tradition of citizen outreach, nor does it provide MPs with guidance or resources on how to communicate with constituents.

“There is a big difference between the working environment of MPs in the United Kingdom and Morocco. In the UK, parliament provides MPs with everything they need to perform their representative role,” said MP Naima Rebbaa.

To address these concerns, NDI is involved in an ongoing program, supported by the U.K. Foreign Commonwealth Office (FCO), to help Moroccan MPs establish better connections with citizens so they can improve how they represent the public’s concerns in parliament.

As part of this program, NDI traveled with Moroccan MPs to London in February so they could observe how the British Parliament helps its members connect with constituents. The delegation met with MPs, parliamentary staff, oversight bodies and citizen groups to understand not only how the parliament supports its members’ citizen outreach, but also why.

Moroccan MPs meet with Matt Ringer, head of information for the British Parliament, to discuss how elected officials can improve outreach to citizens.

The visit coincided with parliament’s “Open Day,” an annual event where various UK parliamentary bodies offer information sessions for MPs, parliamentary staff and citizens on new casework management and constituency services. Matt Ringer, head of information for parliament, described how he made parliamentary proceedings more accessible through public events like Open Day, as well as through regular media outreach and an interactive website.

The delegation also met with parliamentary staff to discuss strategies for connecting with citizens, and how to incorporate constituent priorities into public policy. Nitin Mehta, customer coordinator for parliament, said that parliament should treat citizens like clients. Parliament’s director of research, Bryn Morgan, described how public opinion research helps MPs draft policies that are more in tune with what constituents want, which in turn helps improve the reputation of parliament.

The trip also focused on how parliamentary oversight of finances can help promote transparency and accountability by elected officials. The delegation visited the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA), which parliament established to manage and monitor all of the MPs’ expenses and allowances to prevent abuse. IPSA representatives described how they publish all of the MPs’ expenses online. Impressed by IPSA’s work, the delegation expressed interest in adopting a similar system in Morocco.

“The IPSA plays an important role in regulating MPs’ expenses and pensions,” said MP Ahmed Touhami. “The pension process for Moroccan MPs is criticized for being non-transparent,  so we need to study how a similar body could benefit Morocco.”

Moroccan MPs meet with British MP Clifton Brown (pictured second from left).

In conversation with British MP Meg Hillier, who represents the London districts of Hackney South and Shoreditch, the delegates traded stories about their challenges as elected representatives. Hillier described how in her early days in Parliament she struggled to build credibility as a woman and was often mistaken for a staffer. The anecdote particularly resonated with Moroccan MP Naima Rabaa, the only woman in the delegation, who described her own challenges building credibility as an elected representative and advocate for women’s rights. The secret, according to Hillier, was to spend a lot of time meeting with constituents personally and reaching out to citizens through social media.

As a follow-up to the trip, the Moroccans plan to produce a report with recommendations that will be shared with colleagues in Rabat. “We are well aware of the importance of outreach and would like to explore new mechanisms that we learned about in the UK model,” Touhami said.

With further funding from the FCO, NDI will conduct a feasibility study this summer to gauge the potential for the Moroccan parliament to adopt its own constituency outreach program, and what such a program may look like. NDI will produce a report of its findings, including recommendations for how the parliament could structure an outreach program, to share with parliamentary leadership. The Institute will also provide technical assistance for parliament to conduct a civic education campaign on its role.

Published on April 15, 2015