The Advancement of the Economy and the Slowness of Accountability: Is Morocco Redefining the Two Speeds?
Corruption in Morocco is not merely individual transgressions; it reflects an entire political and moral system. The figures reveal the unvarnished truth: in France, democratic institutions comprise about 578,000 elected officials, yet judicial proceedings do not exceed 400 cases, which is merely 0.069% of the representative body. The minuscule number of judicial follow-ups reflects the effectiveness of laws and institutions in addressing deviations, showing that democracy, despite its flaws, can progress within a well-regulated framework of oversight and accountability.
In Morocco, however, the scene is starkly different. Among roughly 25,000 elected officials, 500 are subject to legal action, including 60 parliamentarians who are under investigation or imprisonment. This means that the corruption rate reaches 2% of the representative body, which is 29 times higher than in France. With this ratio, parliament and local councils become open arenas for deals and personal interests. The Moroccan citizen watches in silence as public wealth is plundered in dubious transactions, highlighting that national institutions remain incapable of imposing even a minimum of transparency.
The Gross Domestic Product deepens the paradox: France has a GDP of $3.2 trillion, while Morocco barely reaches $160 billion. The economic gap is enormous, yet Moroccan corruption “outperforms” French corruption in relative terms. This means that the country’s limited resources are being drained more rapidly, while the citizen remains a bystander, and the political class competes in amassing private interests at the expense of the public good.
Looking at the region, Algeria, despite attempts to hold some officials accountable, lacks a transparent database, and cases are managed within major files and media headlines, making accountability difficult and limiting public impact. Tunisia, following its revolution, raised the banner of combating corruption, yet official data is opaque, and only a few “big players” are targeted, while the political class itself remains unchanged. In Egypt, strategies and administrative indicators are discussed, yet judicial follow-ups concerning elected officials are concealed behind the national security file; there are no independent statistics or real transparency.
In this context, Morocco stands out as a rare exception in the region. Despite its shocking figures, it has embarked on a transparent path that exposes the extent of political corruption, even if this path still progresses slowly. Here, reality meets the royal discourse about Morocco moving at two speeds: a clear speed in major achievements—such as infrastructure projects, desert development, and renewable energy—and a slow, perplexing speed in holding elected officials accountable and curbing corruption.
There are numerous examples: parliamentarians facing judicial proceedings related to dubious deals, heads of local councils accused of bribery or embezzlement, and cases of corruption that only come to light after media pressure and popular demands. Unlike in France, where prosecuting a single official requires thorough public investigations, in Morocco it seems every act of accountability necessitates a lengthy pressure campaign before coming to fruition.
The stakes before the 2026 elections are clear: either the normalization of corruption continues, turning parliament and local councils into open arenas for dubious interests and secret deals, or a strict system of accountability and transparency is adopted. The former guarantees the continued erosion of trust, a stagnant economy, and citizens as spectators in an unending drama of corruption. The latter can propel Morocco to the genuine speed the king spoke of: economic and social progress based on rigorous foundations, the rule of law, and elected officials’ accountability to the people.
Democracy is not just about ballot boxes; it demands rigorous accountability and real responsibility. Without it, the citizen remains merely a financer of an endless corruption party, and the country will continue to move at two contradictory speeds: one towards achievement and development, and the other towards political vacuity and opportunism, where individual interests outpace the public good.
If Morocco wishes to prove that royal rhetoric is not merely slogans, it must unify these two speeds: tangible progress in the economy and rights, alongside strict prosecution of every elected official who abuses their position. Everything else is merely political ornamentation and electoral décor.
