Morocco Reserves Regional Seats for Women, Raises Party Gender Requirements

Rabat – Morocco has introduced new measures to increase women’s representation in Parliament and strengthen their participation in political parties ahead of the September 23 legislative elections.

Under the new electoral framework, regional constituencies that were previously open to both male and female candidates will now be reserved exclusively for women.

The measure is designed to protect seats allocated to women in the House of Representatives, including in the event of partial elections or when a parliamentary seat needs to be filled after becoming vacant.

If a seat reserved for women becomes vacant, the replacement will also have to be a woman.

The new system does not prevent women from running in local constituencies, where they can compete directly against male candidates.

The regional constituencies are a transitional mechanism intended to give women greater political experience and prepare them to compete more strongly in local constituencies in future elections.

The electoral framework also provides financial incentives for candidate lists running in regional constituencies, provided that they are made up exclusively of women aged 35 or younger. The incentives apply both to lists supported by political parties and to lists presented by independent candidates.

More women required in political parties

The new rules also seek to increase women’s participation from the early stages of political party formation.

At least four women must now be included among the 12 members required to declare the creation of a political party.

The framework also requires women to make up at least one-fifth of a party’s founding membership. This means that at least 400 women must be among the 2,000 founding members required by law to establish a political party.

The measures are intended to bring more women into political life from the moment new political projects are created, while encouraging stronger female representation within party structures.

What voters need to know

Morocco’s September 23 vote will renew all 395 seats in the House of Representatives. The official campaign will run from September 10 to September 22, with voters choosing candidates through local and regional electoral lists. 

Authorities have also begun distributing polling notices telling voters where they are assigned to vote. The notice is not required at the polling station, however, as voters only need their National Electronic Identity Card to prove their identity. 

Moroccans living abroad will not vote online or directly at polling stations in their countries of residence. Instead, eligible voters registered on Morocco’s electoral rolls can authorize another registered voter inside Morocco to vote on their behalf.

An electronic proxy system opened on August 24 through the Interior Ministry’s electoral platforms. The service will remain available until noon on September 22.

The voter abroad must provide their identification and electoral registration details, as well as the information of the person they want to authorize. The proxy must be registered on Morocco’s electoral rolls, and one voter in Morocco cannot represent more than one Moroccan living abroad.