Elections

We recently had elecions here in Morocco. Not for King, thats a lifetime gig. Legislative elections.

As a Peace Corps volenteer I am not allowed to get involved in any of this in any way.

The election calander has very tightly structured start and stop days. We went from no campaigning to vans and trucks plastered with posters and handbilling in every cafe. Even my small town would be invaded a few times a day by workers from Rissani or Alnif affiliated with one party or another. It was good entertinment for us, thought I think some of the workers felt like they had entered the boonies.

Parties like to distinguish themselves with symbols, not much different than our donkey and elephant. The car party. The doplhin party. The open door party. The apple. The car and key. The lightbulb party (not to be confused with the oil lamp party). All in all I was told there are 33 parties in Morocco. Or 44. So many that people did not even know them all, or know how many there were.

One party (mustanges just like my highschool), ran a women who did not wear the headscarf. When they came to flyer my town the teenager down the street told me she wasnt Muslim. It should have been obvious from looking at her. Enough said on that.

Election day came and went. I was told I couldnt vote without my official government card by some over zelous poll worker. People seemed excited to vote, to participate. Women and men, which I thought was an overall good sign. Im told that the moderates won, I am not political I have no openion about that.