The Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS) is advocating for the direct participation of Moroccans living abroad in the legislative elections scheduled for September 2026. Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Mohamed Nabil Benabdellah called for an electoral process that includes overseas constituencies, supported by the mobilization of consular services. The Secretary-General of the Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS), Mohamed Nabil Benabdallah, has openly voiced his support for the direct participation of Moroccans living abroad in the legislative elections scheduled for September 2026. Speaking at a press conference on Monday to present the party's memorandum on reforming the General Electoral Code, the former minister lamented the lack of representation for Moroccans abroad «since the adoption of the Constitution in 2011». «Our proposal is clear: Moroccans abroad have the right to participate, just as is the case around the Mediterranean. Citizens of neighboring countries vote in their countries of residence for their representatives, except in Morocco», Benabdellah argued. Current system has shown its limits The PPS leader criticized the complex mechanisms still governing the participation of Moroccans abroad. «Our fellow citizens should be able to vote in local constituencies for expatriates, without having to travel to Morocco, or resort to proxies», he said. This position reflects the principles outlined in the PPS memorandum, which refers to constitutional provisions guaranteeing «the electoral rights of Moroccans residing abroad, equality between men and women, the State's commitment to achieving parity between them, encouraging equal opportunities in access to elective positions, and the necessity for public authorities to work to broaden and generalize the participation of young people in the social, economic, cultural, and political development of the country». The memorandum recommends «creating special electoral districts for Moroccans residing abroad, proportionally to their distribution abroad». It also suggests «introducing the possibility of early electronic voting in these districts abroad», as well as «authorizing Moroccan consulates abroad to carry out operations related to registration, submission of candidacies, voting, and vote counting». These recommendations and Benabdellah's statements echo longstanding demands from civil society actors among Moroccans abroad, particularly those calling on political parties to take a stronger stand on the issue. Within the framework of constitutional principles, the PPS position is also in line with the engagement agreement signed between the party and the Cap Sud MRE association following the promulgation of the 2011 Constitution. A shared agenda with the PJD The PPS was among four parties, PPS, PJD, PAM, and Istiqlal, to sign a similar agreement with Cap Sud MRE, uniting both majority and opposition forces. Their proposals focused on «better defending the interests of Moroccans living abroad», notably through the implementation of Articles 16, 17, 18, and 163 of the Constitution. This included the idea of creating a dedicated constituency/electoral body for Moroccans living abroad within the House of Councillors, «or a new constituency represented by the five continents, with the number of representatives, if possible, proportional to the number of Moroccans abroad in each region of the world». On the eve of Benabdellah's remarks, the Justice and Development Party (PJD) also announced a similar position. In its own memorandum, the Islamist party called for granting Moroccans abroad «direct voting from host countries», reserving seats on the national list for those wishing to run in the 2026 legislative elections. This marks a significant shift for the PJD, which in March 2021 opposed direct participation. The party now also recommends allocating additional seats to candidates representing the Moroccan diaspora in the House of Representatives. At that time, a bill introduced by Istiqlal to grant Moroccans abroad direct political participation was rejected by Parliament, just months before the September 8 elections.
