Morocco assigns public broadcast schedule for parties before September vote

Morocco has completed the allocation of public broadcast airtime for political parties competing in the legislative elections scheduled for September 23, following an official draw attended by party representatives and public audiovisual media officials as preparations for the national vote continue.

The draw was held at the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication’s Department of Communication with representatives from the 27 participating political parties and Morocco’s public audiovisual media organizations in attendance.

Political parties were divided into three categories according to their parliamentary representation.

Parties that currently have a parliamentary group in either chamber of Parliament, or enough lawmakers to form one, were placed in the first category. They will receive a total of 21 minutes of campaign airtime through three broadcasts lasting seven minutes each.

The second category includes parties represented in Parliament without an official parliamentary group. These parties will receive 15 minutes of airtime divided into three five minute broadcasts.

Parties without parliamentary representation make up the third category. They have been allocated a total of nine minutes of airtime through three broadcasts lasting three minutes each.

Additional campaign coverage

Beyond campaign broadcasts, parliamentary parties will also appear as guests in televised news bulletins. First category parties will receive five minute interview segments, while second category parties will receive interviews lasting three minutes.

Public broadcasters will also cover one campaign rally for every participating political party. Coverage will last three minutes for first category parties, two and a half minutes for second category parties, and two minutes for parties without parliamentary representation.

According to the ministry, the scheduling system complies with Morocco’s regulations governing the use of public audiovisual media during election campaigns. The allocation is intended to distribute broadcasts across the main daily viewing periods, including morning, midday, and evening, while preventing the same party from being broadcast simultaneously on multiple public media platforms.

An official draw also assigned each political party a numerical order that will determine the timing and placement of its campaign broadcasts.

Election preparations continue

The media allocation forms part of Morocco’s wider preparations for the legislative elections on September 23.

Earlier this month, the Ministry of the Interior announced plans to deploy 40,700 polling stations and 3,750 central counting offices nationwide.

The ministry also said around 350,000 personnel will supervise the electoral process, including 178,000 polling station officials and their deputies, alongside enhanced technological measures designed to support the transparency and efficiency of the vote.