By Imrane Binoual in Rabat
for Magharebia
Hit Radio organised an info session at EGE Rabat to get students on electoral lists for the municipal elections
Young people in Morocco have just a few weeks left to register for next summer’s local elections.
A Moroccan radio station recently began a national initiative to encourage youths to register on electoral rolls ahead of local polls slated for next June.
With the approach of the January 5th registration deadline, Hit Radio launched a citizen campaign dubbed “Ma ntseyad” meaning “I will be duped”. As for the slogan of this campaign, “Netqyed qbel mantsyed”, it means “I register before I get duped.”
The radio station is working to organise a series of seminars, meetings and round tables at a number of universities and high schools to encourage young people to register, while offering a chance to answer questions.
It has a dedicated website, mantsayadch.ma, which includes explanations and answers on how to register. The station also created a rap song performed by a group of young singers with bold lyrics encouraging registration.
As part of its voter registration efforts, Hit Radio organised an interactive programme on Monday (December 8th), in partnership with the political club of the School of Governance and Economy (EGE) in Rabat.
The meeting was attended by Khadija Rouissi of Bayt al Hikma, Omar Balafrej of the “Clarity, Ambition and Courage” movement, along with Najoua Koukous, co-ordinator of the “Citizen Vigilance” movement.
Rouissi called on all Moroccan parties to assume responsibility for encouraging young people to engage in political action, and to register on the electoral lists for it is a right guaranteed by law.
She also praised the initiative launched by the station, saying that all media should work toward this goal. Rouissi said that there should be campaigns of the same calibre, and that everyone should bear responsibility, be they political parties or the state.
“Citizens should be involved in political life regardless of their positions and whether they vote for a party or a person of their choice, or cast a blank ballot,” she stressed. “The important thing in this process is for the citizen to cast a vote, and to prove his involvement, in order to stress his presence as a citizen in the political process.”
The leader in the opposition Party of Authenticity and Modernity added, “I call on young people to register on the electoral lists because they will contribute and participate in the political process. They are at the heart of political life, and they should through this participation influence decision-making.”
For her part, political activist Najoua Koukous was surprised by the fact that many young people today know nothing about the election, or the history of its organisation. She said that responsibility today was vested with all actors in society to push young people to get involved in politics, and register on the electoral lists to make their voices heard.
“Registration on the electoral lists is a political right, and is a national duty of every citizen attached to his homeland and to the way it is run,” she said.
Meanwhile, Omar Balafrej stressed that boycotting was also a choice.
But he also said that young people should not be satisfied with registering on the electoral lists, and instead should think seriously about joining the political game through running in elections without necessarily being forced to belong to a particular party.
