he Special Commission for the Accreditation of Election Observers has accredited 41 national and international organizations: 34 Moroccan associations and six international NGOs, in addition to the National Human Rights Council (CNDH).

The accredited organizations will deploy more than 4,000 observers, including 76 international observers, to observe the campaigns and the elections of the Councils of the regions and the municipalities, due on the 4th of September, the elections of the prefectural and provincial councils, due on the 17th of September, and the elections of the House of Councilors, due on the 2nd of October 2015.

The Commission received 67 accreditation applications. It rejected 16 associations either for incomplete files or because the applying associations’ artiles of association do not expressly refer to election observation or the promotion of human rights, democracy or citizenship, as set out in the provisions of Law # 30.11 on the terms and conditions of independent and impartial election observation.

Accredited national associations

– Instance nationale des droits de l’Homme (for human rights);

– Collectif associatif pour l’observation des élections (for election observation);

– Forum civil démocratique marocain (for the promotion of democracy);

– Observatoire national des droits de l’électeur (for voter’s rights);

– Association Titrit (local association in Agadir);

– Médiateur pour la démocratie et les droits de l’Homme (for democacy and human rights);

– Collectif pour la promotion des droits des personnes en situation d’handicap (for disability rights);

– Association Génération de la technique et du développement (local development association in Essmara);

– Association Jeunesse sans frontières pour le développement (local development association in Haouz);

– Centre de réflexion stratégique et de défense de la démocratie (local development association in Laayoune);

– Association Tisghnasse  pour la culture et le développement (local development association in Nador);

– Organisation marocaine des droits humains (for human rights);

– Centre des droits des gens (for human rights);

– Centre Chourouk pour la démocratie et l’information (for democracy and information);

– Association créativités féminines (in Sefrou);

– Fédération de la ligue démocratique des femmes (for women’s rights);

– Forum Karama pour les droits de l’Homme (for human rights);

– Association marocaine de lutte contre la violence à l’égard des femmes(for the fighting violence against women);

– Réseau Al Amal pour le secours et le développement durable (local association for sustainable development in Al Hoceima);

– Association Rif pour les droits de l’Homme (for human rights in the region of Rif;

– Association Arif pour la culture et le patrimoine (local association for culture and cultural heritage in Al Hoceima);

– Association d’appui aux  personnes Handicapées (for disability rights and assistance in Laayoune);

– Alliance  nationale de la jeunesse et de l’enfance (for youth and children);

– Association marocaine des jeunesses pour le développement (for development);

– Forum marocain pour la démocratie et les droits de l’Homme for democracy and human rights);

– Association Tassila pour la Coopération et le développement rural (local association for cooperation and rural development in Agadir);

– Collectif El Madkouri pour les droits de l’Homme (local human rights association in El Gara);

– Association Univers presse pour l’information (local press and information association in Rhamna);

– Conseil régional du Réseau marocain des droits de l’Homme (network for human rights in the region of Béni Mellal-Khénifra);

– Observatoire des libertés et des droits de l’Homme (freedom and human rights observatory in the Region of Grand Casablanca);

– Association Hay Al Aouda pour l’environnement et le développement (local association for environment and development in Essmara);

– Association des chercheurs dans le droit du contentieux (local association of litigation law researchers in Oujda);

– Association nationale pour le développement durable et la coopération internationale (national association for sustainable development and international cooperation in Oued Zem); and

– Forum Iffous pour la démocratie et les droits de l’Homme (local forum for democracy and human rights in Tata).

Accredited international organizations

– International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES);

– National Democratic Institute (NDI);

– Arab Election Watch (Arab network for election observation);

– Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies,

– Arab Federation for Human Rights Centers; and

– Gender Concerns International.

CNDH will also deploy 500 obsrevers. Under its founding law, the Council has the possibility to invite international experts and organizations to participate in the election observation process. It has thus extended invitation to the diplomatic missions of Canada, Sweden, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, the national human rights institutions (NHRIs) of Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Palestine and Tunisia, the Arab Network of NHRIs, United Cities and Local Governments-Africa (UCLG-Africa) and the Observatory of political elections in the Arab-Muslim world.

The European Union has also sent an election observation mission electoral mission, in Morocco from August 15 through September 14, for an overall assessment of the entire electoral process.

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The Commission updated the documents needed for the accreditation and the observation of the 2015 elections, mainly its by-laws, the accreditation application form, the observation charter (which includes the fundamental principles and rules for the observation), the draft call for applications, and the observer’s card and badges). The Commission decided over the observation procedure and set the date and deadline for the accreditation applications.

The 2015 observation operation will concern the elections of the Councils of the regions and the municipalities, due on the 4^th of September 2015; the elections of the prefectural and provincial councils, due on the 17^th of September 2015; and the elections of the House of Councillors, due on the 2^nd of October 2015.

Under Law # 30-11, laying down the terms and conditions of independent and neutral election observation, a special commission for the accreditation of election observers is established within the National Human Rights Council (CNDH). The commission is mandated to receive, review and decide on the accreditation applications. It issues special cards and badges to accredited observers and drafts the observer’s charter, a document laying down the principles and fundamental rules that every accredited observer must respect.

Chaired by CNDH Chairman, or someone else acting on his behalf, the Special Commission for the Accreditation of Election Observers include the following members:

• Four members representing the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and the Ministry of Communication;
• A representative of the Délégation interministérielle aux droits de l’Homme(inter-ministerial department for human rights);
• A representative of the National Authority for Integrity and Prevention and Fight against Corruption;
• Five representatives of civil society associations acting as members of the National Human Rights Council. The names of these representatives are proposed to the Chairman of the Commission by the associations concerned.

The secretariat of the commission is managed through the Secretariat General of the National Human Rights Council.

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