Morocco — Concurrently with the start of candidacy filing for the elections scheduled for September 23, the Challenge Association for Equality and Citizenship, as part of a process launched in partnership with the National Observatory for Protection against Digital Violence, reported that 40 women have declared their candidacies at the head of local electoral lists, distributed across 32 districts at the national level.

These preliminary figures relate to candidacies announced by 11 political parties represented in the House of Representatives during the eleventh legislative term, according to the association's statement.

Women at the Head of Lists in Only One‑Third of Districts

The figures indicate that the observed women's candidacies at the head of lists cover only 32 out of 92 districts—approximately one‑third of local districts—while the data announced so far show no woman at the head of a list in 60 districts.

The Challenge Association for Equality and Citizenship believes that these indicators, although not final as the candidacy filing period continues, reflect the limited presence of women in leading local electoral lists, and also reveal the continued disparity in the distribution of women's candidacies between regions and parties.

This disparity is not limited to the number of women candidates, but also appears in their geographical distribution. Fourteen of the 40 women's candidacies were concentrated in just six districts, including Casablanca, which recorded four women at the head of different electoral lists.

Regional Concentration of Candidacies

At the regional level, the observed women's candidacies were distributed across ten regions, but about 64 percent—25 out of 40 cases—are concentrated in four regions: Casablanca‑Settat, Fès‑Meknès, Rabat‑Salé‑Kénitra, and Souss‑Massa.

This distribution, according to the association, raises the question of territorial balance in women's opportunities to reach advanced positions within electoral competition, especially since women's political representation is linked not only to the number of candidates but also to the positions they are given on lists and the nature of the districts where they compete.

From Presence on Lists to Actual Competition

The association considers that enhancing women's representation in Parliament should not be limited to mechanisms dedicated to supporting their entry into the House of Representatives, but also requires expanding their presence in direct electoral competition within local districts.

The association calls on political parties, during the candidacy filing period, to assign the presidency of a greater number of local lists to women, and to benefit from women's competencies within their structures, while ensuring a more balanced distribution of candidacies across various regions and districts.

It also urges parties to give women genuine and competitive electoral opportunities, rather than confining their candidacies to limited districts or symbolic positions.

These calls come within the context of an ongoing debate in Morocco about women's representation in elected institutions, and about the extent to which the adopted legal and political mechanisms can move from ensuring women's presence in the electoral process to actually empowering them in decision‑making positions.

The Challenge Association for Equality and Citizenship affirmed that the current figures do not represent the final tally of candidacies, and that it will continue the monitoring process during the filing period, with data to be updated after the announcement of the final lists.

The monitoring process, according to the association, will include a quantitative and qualitative reading of women's presence in the legislative elections, including the distribution of candidacies by parties, regions, and districts, in addition to the nature of the districts where women were assigned list leadership and their competitiveness.

The association calls for making the September 23, 2026 elections an opportunity to enhance women's participation in Moroccan political life, considering that achieving equality and parity in political representation also requires guaranteeing women's right to lead lists and compete on an equal footing with men.