Blanco voting and the next elections
Published by BO18 on - 3/18/2007Through this post of Xoussef and this post of Moonlight , I stumbled upon this editorial of Ahmed Benchemsi of Telquel.
Benchemsi advises people to vote blanco during the next elections. According to him it's the only relevant choice during the elections. He predicts that the "blanco vote"-party would be one of the biggest winners.
It would wake up the political elite of the country and cause a change in the Moroccan politics.
I kind of understand his point of view. Blanco voting is usually a very good way of showing your disillusion with the current political state.
But I'm wary of the consequences this may have in the upcoming elections.
It's almost certain that the PJD, the islamist party, will be the only winner during the next elections.
Other mainstream, (nominally) secular parties are facing a major defeat.
And for some reason, I don't believe that the blanco-voter is the same as the PJD-voter. A blanco-voter is usually not a member of a grass-root movement like the PJD. Otherwise they wouldn't vote blanco (correct me if I'm wrong)
The people who would vote blanco are usually the people who used to vote for traditional parties (in this case the (nominally) secular parties of Morocco)
In other words, a blanco vote equals a vote for the PJD. The electoral victory of the PJD will seem even bigger.
I wonder if Benchemsi knows what the full impact is of a blanco vote.
The main reasons why he advises a blanco vote are political and democratic change. Are these changes possible if only 1 party wins the elections with a very large majority?
Is it possible to achieve democratic changes if the ruling elite is shellshocked by its loss and introduces undemocratic measures to do some damage-control (something that is bound to happen)
Benchemsi really must see the PJD as a political party that wants to achieve democratic and political change for áll the Moroccans. Instead, the PJD is a party that wants to turn Morocco into a more conservative, religious, closed country.
I actually doubt it that Benchemsi really wants to see the PJD as the only victorious party during the next elections. I also doubt it that he believes that the PJD is the only motor behind political and democratic changes.
Instead, I think that he just made a remark without really understanding what the true impact of it is.
Benchemsi advises people to vote blanco during the next elections. According to him it's the only relevant choice during the elections. He predicts that the "blanco vote"-party would be one of the biggest winners.
It would wake up the political elite of the country and cause a change in the Moroccan politics.
I kind of understand his point of view. Blanco voting is usually a very good way of showing your disillusion with the current political state.
But I'm wary of the consequences this may have in the upcoming elections.
It's almost certain that the PJD, the islamist party, will be the only winner during the next elections.
Other mainstream, (nominally) secular parties are facing a major defeat.
And for some reason, I don't believe that the blanco-voter is the same as the PJD-voter. A blanco-voter is usually not a member of a grass-root movement like the PJD. Otherwise they wouldn't vote blanco (correct me if I'm wrong)
The people who would vote blanco are usually the people who used to vote for traditional parties (in this case the (nominally) secular parties of Morocco)
In other words, a blanco vote equals a vote for the PJD. The electoral victory of the PJD will seem even bigger.
I wonder if Benchemsi knows what the full impact is of a blanco vote.
The main reasons why he advises a blanco vote are political and democratic change. Are these changes possible if only 1 party wins the elections with a very large majority?
Is it possible to achieve democratic changes if the ruling elite is shellshocked by its loss and introduces undemocratic measures to do some damage-control (something that is bound to happen)
Benchemsi really must see the PJD as a political party that wants to achieve democratic and political change for áll the Moroccans. Instead, the PJD is a party that wants to turn Morocco into a more conservative, religious, closed country.
I actually doubt it that Benchemsi really wants to see the PJD as the only victorious party during the next elections. I also doubt it that he believes that the PJD is the only motor behind political and democratic changes.
Instead, I think that he just made a remark without really understanding what the true impact of it is.
I'm not convinced this is true. (I know the rest of the blogger elite disagrees with me.) But I think a victory for the Islamic party in Turkey was the best thing that happened to Turkey in 60 years -- they turned out to be closet progressives -- and the Hamas victory was a good thing for Palestine -- at least the people got representation that is truly representative. Why couldn't it be a good thing for Morocco?
Besides, a party that wins with a huge majority would have all the responsibility that goes with it. They would be solely responsible for the success or failure of their program (particularly in the case of the PJD, which isn't likely to get backstage help from either the Makhzen or rival parties) -- and if their program fails, they will pay the price at the ballot box the next time around. As painful as it's been, the U.S. has survived six years of GWB, and isn't likely to make anything close to the same mistake again. Call it a learning experience. Why deny Morocco its learning experience?
That said, I can't say I like the idea of blank voting. People who feel that way should form their own grassroots party, or get inside one of the old parties and revitalize it from within -- as blogger-activists are trying to do with the Democrats in the U.S. This takes patience, commitment and optimism, so it isn't easy. But I see blank voting as a cynical and essentially meaningless gesture.
@ eatbees: i don't know about the turkish AKP discourse before elections, but i expect a political party to keep the same discourse after beeing elected.
Now the PJD said that they will keep the cape the same in economics, and they have not at all bad ideas in that field. i am concerned in what they will do in culture and personal freedoms fields. all they have to do is to resuscitate some restrectiv lowas that are now used too loosely.
Hoba Hoba Sprit sang "xellini n3ich 7yati w 7sabi m3a rebbi" (let me live as i want, i will clear it up with my god), PJD don't seem to have the same philosophy.
a party can win huge majority, but it wont reflect the reality if the oppenants vote blanco or the participation rate is low. I want a true election, huge participation, valid votes. if PJD win in a situation like that, no one will complain, included me, i will manage to survive :D. but if they win because poeple are not interested, i will regret it.
Oops, you got me:P
@ Eatbees
Xoussef kind of thinks the same way as me.
And I just have to add this: maybe I perceive the PJD from my position as a staunchly secular, selfish, "elitist" blogger/person. Which means that an electoral win for the PJD will make my own position, as a Moroccan citizen *ahem*, even worse.
I mean the PJD isn't all too liberal when it comes to gays, free youngsters etc etc. We're all Satanists according to them.
And that's where the main difference is between the PJD and AKP in Turkey. The latter didn't use the kind of language the PJD does.
The PJD likes to compare itself with the AKP but they're from 2 different worlds. A conservative-religious (Morocco) and a conservative-secular one (Turkey)
But you do have a point about letting the PJD take their responsibility and govern. I just don't think that Morocco is stable enough for it.
In Turkey the generals reacted very negatively on the electoral victories of Islamic parties.
What will the reactions be of the traditional elite in Morocco?
Sorry but I just noticed your comments:S
But, as happened before, Xoussef has answered you the exact same way as I would answer you:P
(we don't only have a name in common but also a lot of thoughts, a miracle!)
But concerning Doga and his plans to vote PJD.
Voting PJD only brings reforms for a part of the population, the ultra-religious part.
You shouldn't just vote for the sake of reform. No, you should vote for reform without harming the liberties of others. Thats real democracy (or should be)
Voting PJD is voting for new restrictions on other lifestyles than those of PJD-members.
Does Doga really want that?
As Xoussef points out, the oppressive laws are already on the books, but they are only selectively enforced. I would say, they are used mostly against the poor, or when the police can get a bribe out of it. Let's imagine the PJD will enforce them more strictly as you and Xoussef fear. Couldn't this in the long run lead to fairer laws, as people hurt by the tough enforcement demand liberalization? Anti-sodomy laws existed in the U.S. until just a few years ago, when gay men in Texas were prosecuted under a 19th century law and the Supreme Court threw out the case. The police official who arrested them said, "The best way to get rid of a bad law is to enforce it."
I know I'm a perptual optimist. Call me naive. For a while, I believed the Iraqis really would greet an invasion with flowers! Anyway, we'll probably get a chance this year to see who is right about the PJD.
under european pressure on actual gov, things emprove at a low pace, but definitely perceptible.
Ok, now serious.
Xoussef already pointed at the witch-hunt started by islamist-friendly papers and politicians.
Youngsters, who happen to like gothic rock, wre beranded as satanist/homosexuals and prosecuted/arrested.
Isn't that a concrete example?
Or the hysterical reaction of the PJD concerning that music festival in Marrakech. They believed that that festival was ment to convert people to christianity.
I'm really sorry, but the PJD is being populated by politicians who lost touch with the worldly reality.
Some of the oppressive laws already exist, you got a point there. And they only get enforced if it comes to poor people.
But other laws are still not on the books.
If we take the 2 examples I gave you above.
What if the PJD introduced (instead of only enforcing existing laws) laws that tighten the control of the state when it comes to concerts/art/lifestyles?
If the PJD comes to power they will not only be tough on enforcement of existing laws, they will come up with their own unrealistic, hysterical, oppressive laws.
How can we call that progression?
In a mature society, this would be corrected during the next elections.
But Morocco is far from being a mature society.
Look, we have 2 camps. The tradition, "secular" camp and the new, islamist camp.
Both are powerhungry and mainly undemocratic.
It comes down to choosing between those 2 camps during the elections.
I would choose the traditional camp. That camp has already the experience and understands that introducing more oppressive, ignorant laws will only harm the image of Morocco.
I'm not endorsing or approving the tactics of the traditional camp.
I'm just saying that positive change and reform for áll the groups can only be achieved through that camp.