MREs not ready to vote

Questioned by a parliamentary group on the right of Moroccans living abroad (MRE) to participate in elections in Morocco, Abdelouafi Laftit, Minister of the Interior, responded straightforwardly.

Moroccan electoral laws guarantee Moroccans residing abroad (MRE) their right to participate in elections on an equal footing with citizens residing in Morocco, Abdelouafi Laftit said, specifying that MREs have the right to vote either directly in polling stations in Morocco or by proxy. Thus, he said that the government has taken measures to strengthen the representation of MREs in institutions, including the obligation for political parties to place a candidate residing abroad at the head of at least one regional candidate list, in order to encourage parties to integrate Moroccan women residing abroad into political life.