NDI Fields International Observers for Moroccan Parliamentary Elections

NDI is fielding an observer mission for Morocco’s Nov. 25 parliamentary elections.

The delegation is made up of 41 accredited observers from 21 countries who will deploy throughout Morocco on election day. The group includes 10 long-term observers who have been in the country since October 25 and who will remain through early December to observe post-election developments.

The leaders of the mission are Bob Rae of Canada, leader of the Liberal Party and former premier of Ontario; Kastriot Islami of Albania, former chairman of the Albanian parliament and former minister of foreign affairs; Sally Shelton-Colby of the U.S., former deputy secretary-general of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development; Abdullah Al Derazi of Bahrain, secretary general of the Bahrain Human Rights Society; and Shari Bryan of the U.S., NDI vice president.

The purpose of the delegation is to provide an impartial assessment of the electoral process and to demonstrate the interest of the international community in the continued strengthening of democratic governance in Morocco. These elections are the kingdom’s first since popular protests demanding democratic reform led earlier this year to the adoption of a new constitution and revised laws governing political campaigns and elections.

Before they are deployed throughout the country, members of the delegation will meet in Rabat with representatives of major political parties; civic leaders; citizen observers, including from the Collective of Associations for the Observation of Elections; the National Human Rights Council, which is charged with coordinating observer accreditation; government officials, including election administrators; media; and representatives of the international community.

The mission builds on a pre-election assessment that NDI conducted in Morocco Oct. 20-25 that produced a report and recommendations to strengthen the electoral process. The Institute led the first independent international observation mission to Morocco during the 2007 elections and was the only international organization to observe. NDI has worked in Morocco since 1997.

The delegation will conduct its activities in a nonpartisan manner in accordance with Moroccan law and international standards for election monitoring set forth in the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation, which is endorsed by 39 intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations and was launched at the United Nations in 2005. The mission builds on NDI’s 25 years of experience observing more than 200 elections around the world, including in Tunisia, Jordan, Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza, and Yemen.

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