VZCZCXYZ0025
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHRB #1415/01 2071239
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 261239Z JUL 06
FM AMEMBASSY RABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4332
INFO RUEHAS/AMEMBASSY ALGIERS 4100
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 3033
RUEHNK/AMEMBASSY NOUAKCHOTT 3250
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 4310
RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS 8987
RUEHCL/AMCONSUL CASABLANCA 1942

UNCLAS RABAT 001415 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/MAG, NEA/PI 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PINR MO
SUBJECT: ELECTIONS ISSUES ATTRACTING ATTENTION IN THE PRESS 
 
REF: RABAT 1329 
 
¶1. (U)  Summary:  The 2007 legislative elections are getting 
increasing coverage in Moroccan press outlets. 
French-language dailies, Le Matin and Liberation, both 
published articles on the threat "political nomadism" 
presents to democracy and how the Socialist Union of Popular 
Forces (USFP) Party has recently called for a session with 
the Ministers of the Interior and Justice to investigate this 
alleged problem.  The Unified Socialist Party (PSU) has vowed 
to providing more transparency and democracy during its 
December 2006 Congress, by representing all political 
currents and inviting non-party members to supervise.  The 
electoral code, which has sparked much of the recent press 
attention, is still in debate with the Council of Ministers 
and has not yet passed to Parliament, despite earlier press 
reports indicating otherwise (Ref A).  The French-language 
weekly, TelQuel, reported on small parties' reactions to the 
code, which vary between boycotting and alliance-forming. 
The Party of Justice and Development (PJD) and the USFP 
defend the electoral code and deny claims that it is 
"undemocratic."  End Summary. 
 
------------------- 
Political Nomadism 
------------------- 
 
¶2. (U)  French-language daily, Le Matin (July 25), reported 
that several parliamentarians are planning to leave the Lower 
Chamber in order to present themselves for the Upper Chamber 
elections set for September 8.  Le Matin published four 
names, all from the Popular Movement Union (UMP), of 
parliamentarians whom have already left, and indicated that 
the trend may be rising.  The paper noted that the nine-year 
term and elections by an electoral college, rather than 
universal suffrage, is attractive to deputies.  According to 
Le Matin, only the USFP denounced this phenomenon, going as 
far as calling the deputies traitors to their electors.  The 
USFP called upon the socialist parliamentary group to hold a 
session with the Ministers of the Interior and Justice to 
discuss the issue, according to the party's daily, Liberation 
(July 25).  The paper noted that political nomadism greatly 
hurt the integrity of the Parliament. 
 
-------------------------- 
PSU's Lesson in Democracy 
-------------------------- 
 
¶3. (U)  The PSU aims to become a "democratic school," 
according to TelQuel (July 22-28).  According to TelQuel, the 
three political currents of the party will present their 
respective platforms at the December Congress, which party 
members will vote on to decide which platform best represents 
the ideas of the PSU.  PSU Secretary General, Mohamed 
Moujahid, announced to Le Matin (July 25) that the Congress 
will be supervised by a neutral commission made up of human 
rights militants and civil society leaders to ensure the 
transparency of the internal elections.  The PSU has also 
criticized the USFP for not being open to all political 
currents in the country.  According to Le Matin, the PSU 
hopes that in opening the debate to different beliefs within 
the party, the Government of Morocco (GOM) will do the same, 
especially regarding the electoral code. 
 
------------------------------------------- 
Small Parties' Reactions to Electoral Code 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (U)  French-language weekly, TelQuel (July 22-28), 
published an article on the reactions of small parties to the 
new electoral code.  The far-left Democratic Path Party 
declared the first boycott of the elections in a July 9 
communique, affirming that the predominance of the king, his 
counselors and the government prevent the development of any 
real democratic process.  The communique also criticized the 
GOM for using old electoral lists and undemocratic 
distribution of constituencies, according to Le Journal (July 
22-28).  The neo-liberal Alliance of Liberties (ADL) Party 
considered the code undemocratic as it does not respect 
minorities or give free choice to citizens.  The Party of 
Virtue and Vigilance (PVV) denounced the code as a conspiracy 
of the majority parties, according to TelQuel. 
 
¶5. (U)  Mustapha Moatassim, General Secretary of Al Badil Al 
Hadari, an Islamic leftist party legalized in June, 
considered the Democratic Path's declaration premature, but 
indicated it might follow suit if the electoral code is 
adopted in its current form.  ADL has not yet decided if it 
will ally with the PSU or call for a boycott. The Avant Garde 
Social Democratic Party (PADS), who earlier decided to 
participate in the elections for the first time in two 
decades, said their position could also change. The PSU 
hesitates to make a decision before the electoral code itself 
is decided upon, but Le Matin reported that the party is 
planning to hold a sit-in in front of the Parliament during 
the presentation of the code.  TelQuel considered that a "no" 
from the PSU would be a humiliation for the ongoing 
democratic transition.  TelQuel felt the PSU is likely to 
gain votes from smaller leftist parties, such as the Labor 
Party, which has indicated it will vote PSU in 2007 to avoid 
an "empty-chair policy." 
 
¶6. (U)  Other parties have been more accepting of the code, 
according to the press.  The founder of the Moroccan Union 
for Democracy Party (UMD), Abdellah Azmani, noted that the 
new code penalizes new parties and practically bars them from 
elections, but he affirmed his party would try to adapt.  The 
center-left Front of Democratic Forces (FFD) regarded the 
code as a decision of the majority and confirmed its 
participation in the elections.  The National Democratic 
Party (PND) remains confident that it will not only reach the 
seven percent limit but surpass it.  The Constitutional Union 
Party's (UC) Secretary General, Mustapha Abied, denied the 
rumor that the party would appeal to royal arbitrage to 
modify the code, and said it is most important to regroup the 
political family into "clearly identifiable poles," according 
to TelQuel. 
 
------------------------------------------- 
Large Parties Continue to Support the Code 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (U)  The PJD claims it is not concerned with a seven 
percent threshold to obtain a seat in Parliament, as the 
party has said that entrance into the government is not a 
priority, according to TelQuel.  (NOTE: The PJD has been 
accused of playing both sides and has not ruled out 
boycotting the elections. END NOTE)  The USFP, considered the 
real architect of the code and accused by some of hegemonism 
over the other leftist groups, supports the code to reduce 
the "exaggerated number of political parties," as Mohamed 
Sassi told TelQuel, rather than to pursue hegemonic goals. 
USFP leader, Mohamed El Yazghi, was quoted in French-language 
daily, La Vie Eco (July 14), saying: "Morocco only has place 
for ten political parties." 
 
 
****************************************** 
Visit Embassy Rabat's Classified Website; 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/rabat 
****************************************** 
 
RILEY