The government approves two decrees to define the ballot paper and raise the limit on electoral expenses.

The government approves two decrees to define the ballot paper and increase the electoral spending ceiling.

Today, Thursday, the government council approved two draft decrees aimed at regulating the elections for the House of Representatives. These decrees outline the format of the ballot paper and update the spending ceiling for candidates, a move designed to tighten the rules of the electoral process and ensure transparency.

The Minister Delegate for Relations with Parliament and Government Spokesperson, Mustapha Baitas, explained that the first draft concerns amending the decree related to the format and content of the unique ballot paper. It provides clarifications on the arrangement of candidacy lists for both general and partial elections, implementing an electronic platform for filing applications and obtaining a receipt that specifies the order of the lists instead of the traditional deposit priority.

This amendment includes all types of candidacies, including local lists, regional lists for women, and candidates not affiliated with any political party, in addition to organizing partial elections.

The second draft relates to reviewing the ceiling on electoral expenses to keep pace with the rising costs of campaigns, raising the maximum limit from 500,000 dirhams to 600,000 dirhams for each candidate, while specifying the amounts allocated for using media during the campaign, in preparation for the elections scheduled for September 23, 2026.

Baitas confirmed that these two decrees are part of the preparations for the upcoming elections and reflect the government’s direction towards tightening the organization of the electoral process, unifying voting rules, and regulating electoral financing to ensure equal opportunities and transparency among all candidates.