Morocco’s Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit said that women’s political representation has not yet reached the required level in the country.
Laftit remarks came in a meeting held Tuesday with women’s organizations as part of preparations for the 2021 elections, during which he highlighted women’s prominent contribution to the political action in the Kingdom.
He said concerted efforts would ensure a significant and fair representation of women in the 2021 legislative and municipal elections.
Before the 2016 legislative elections, Moroccan women were hoping to raise their representation in parliament to at least one third, pending a parity that may take a long time.
However, a recent amendment on the House of Representative’s regulatory law was approved by the Interior Ministry and allowed an increase of only 15 additional seats for women in the next parliament.
It divided the 30-seats for youth in the national list between males and females to be added to the 60 seats authorized for women.
During the 2016 elections, women’s representation increased to 81, or 20.5 percent, out of 395 MPs, 60 were elected from the national list, nine from local lists, and 12 from the youth list.
Meanwhile, women’s representation in municipalities increased from 12 percent to 27 percent during the last elections and from 2.9 percent to 37 percent at the regional level, while the rate of municipalities headed by women did not exceed one percent.
