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| Africa North |
| Moroccan courts investigate election fraud |
| 2009-07-17 |
| [Maghrebia] With at least one election result annulled and several candidates arrested, Moroccans are seeing courts take a more active role in dealing with cases of electoral fraud. On Monday (July 13th), the Marrakech administrative court annulled election results in the Menara district, following an appeal by the Front of Democratic Forces (FFD) over irregularities. The ruling overturned the election of PAM candidate Fatima Zahra Mansouri as Marrakech mayor. Members of the public in Marrakech had accused candidates of using "dirty money" to buy votes, particularly among the poorest citizens. In another case, the Court of First Instance in Rabat refused to grant Said Yabou from the Istiqlal party bail on Wednesday (July 15th). He was arrested on July 3rd shortly after being elected president of the commune of Youssoufia in Rabat on fraud charges. In Kelaat Sraghna, where a death was reported in relations to the elections, a candidate from the Istiqlal Party was arrested on May 31st with 3 million dirhams in hand that he was distributing to voters. "The courts are currently playing a regulatory role after the elections," said lecturer Nadir Moumni, "by handling disputes at a time when the political parties should be opening up a national debate involving all players... so that an agreement can be reached on the minimum ethical standards to be observed." "A large part of the responsibility lies with the political parties who, in a number of cases, have chosen candidates without fully considering the risks," Moumni said. |
| Posted by:Fred |