Observations from International Election Monitors
On September 23, 2026, members of an international delegation of observers accredited by the National Human Rights Council reported that the voting procedures for the legislative elections in Fes were conducted according to regulatory standards and in a normal atmosphere. The delegation, led by the organization "La 9ème Talents et Territoires," comprised eighteen observers, including elected officials from the French Republic, business leaders, and representatives from civil society. Throughout the election day, the observers undertook field visits and monitoring tasks across various districts within the Fes region, starting from the opening of the polling stations.
Their visits included polling offices situated in neighborhoods such as "Bab Fteuh," "Bensouda," and "Montfleuri," as well as the old city and the commune of "Oulad Tayeb." The head of the delegation, Khadija Kamraoui, stated that by midday on Wednesday, they had visited six schools containing nearly thirty polling stations, emphasizing that the voting process was carried out under ordinary conditions.
Notably, the presence of representatives from various political parties was observed in the polling stations visited, including both majority and opposition members. This attendance is crucial for monitoring and observing the electoral process. Anna Frédérique Amou, a French elected official and member of the delegation, explained that the monitoring task relies on a unified technical framework to track various stages of the elections and document field observations.
This framework particularly focuses on the presence of the legal members of the polling stations—namely, the president, vice president, secretary, and other committee members—as well as the availability of electoral documents, including official minutes, ballots, and ballot boxes. Moreover, the observers paid special attention to the procedures for closing and securing the ballot boxes, along with the use of indelible ink after voting, a measure designed to prevent double voting.
Amou noted that compliance with these procedures was regularly observed at the polling centers visited, with no technical or security incidents reported during the delegation's rounds. The election observation mission in Fes is part of a broader national initiative coordinated by the aforementioned organization.
By midday Wednesday, the monitoring teams spread across various regions of the kingdom had conducted observation visits covering 96 schools, which included nearly 890 polling centers, particularly in the regions of Tangier, Sale, Khouribga, Safi, Guelmim, and Laayoune. The observers will continue their duties even after the polling stations close until the completion of the vote counting process, with the collected observations compiled into a technical evaluation report to be officially presented to the National Human Rights Council during the announcement of the election monitoring results.
As reported by hespress.com.
