Lafitit: 16.5 Million Registered in Electoral Rolls and 1.4 Million Cases Deleted
Abdelouafi Lafitit, the Minister of Interior, revealed that the ongoing purification of electoral rolls has led to the deletion of approximately 1.4 million cases, due to various legal reasons, chiefly the absence of actual residence in the municipality or district, alongside instances of duplicate registration, death, and loss of electoral eligibility.
During the general session for oral questions at the House of Councillors on Tuesday, Lafitit explained that the number of new registrants in the electoral rolls has reached 382,170 voters, of which 254,740 registered via the online platform dedicated to electoral rolls, while 127,430 were registered through written requests submitted to administrative offices.
Thus, the total temporary number of registered voters at the national level, within the framework of the ongoing annual review, has reached around 16.5 million registered individuals, comprising 54% males and 46% females. The provisional electoral body is distributed as 55% in urban areas and 45% in rural areas.
The government official pointed out that the cleansing of the electoral rolls has been a pressing demand from political party leaders during consultations concerning the legal framework governing the 2026 elections. They emphasized the necessity of purifying the current lists and ensuring the success of the registration process during the exceptional review preceding the elections.
In this context, Lafitit stated that the Ministry of Interior is conducting an in-depth data review of the current electoral rolls within the central information system, utilizing other informational sources to identify various cases that may present potential discrepancies.
He added that most of these cases pertain to individuals who have changed their actual residence from one municipality to another, whether they submitted registration requests in their new areas or not, due to constant population movement, rehousing operations of slum-dwellers, and the reorganization of certain neighborhoods or the establishment of new ones. Additionally, material errors in the names of some registrants or their national identification data have been detected.
According to the Minister of Interior, the deleted cases also include names of deceased individuals who were not reported in a timely manner to the relevant administrative committees, as well as persons who lost their electoral eligibility due to legal or judicial impediments.
Lafitit confirmed that the competent administrative authorities conducted a thorough examination of the lists of localities and districts within their territorial jurisdiction while ensuring adherence to the principle of registration based on actual residence, confirming the ongoing fulfillment of this condition for voters, and taking into account the legal exceptions pertaining to Moroccans residing abroad and those linked to nomadic areas.
The minister stressed that no voter has been deleted solely for temporary absence from their municipality or district unless it has been confirmed that they permanently left. He emphasized that the purging process was completed outside of the time constraints associated with the electoral deadlines, contributing to making the lists more reflective of the actual national electorate.
Regarding the upcoming exceptional review, Lafitit clarified that its primary objective is to enable as many unregistered individuals, particularly young people, to join the electoral rolls. He noted that this process will unfold according to a timeline established by a ministerial decision published in the official gazette, setting registration periods through administrative offices or the electronic platform, as well as the dates for the convening of administrative committees, addressing appeals, and finalizing the electoral rolls approved for the upcoming legislative election.
