Dateline: RABAT, MoroccoFrom the searing heat of the Sahara to the breeze-cooled Atlantic coast, polling booths are being readied. The king has encouraged his subjects to vote. TV spots are teaching the uninitiated how to mark their choice with a cross.
On a continent so scarred by war, despots and extremism, Morocco aims to set itself apart Friday with legislative elections the government promises will be the first fully transparent and fair polls since the North African nation gained independence in 1956.
The elections for parliament's lower house are the first since King Mohammed VI ascended the throne in July 1999 and began shaking up the tightly controlled regime left by his late father, Hassan II.
Although power remains firmly in Mohammed's hands, with control over key ministries, he also has spoken strongly in favor of giving his citizens a free choice in elections, calling it "the golden rule of all democracies."
The bewildering array of parties and a complicated system of proportional representation made it likely that no one majority party would emerge. The last elections, in 1997, were followed by months of deadlock broken only when Hassan II appointed Abderrahmane Youssoufi prime minister. His Socialist Union of Popular Forces leads a coalition government.
A central aim of the government was to use the elections to demonstrate the credibility and responsiveness of Moroccan institutions _ elements that Mohammed says are crucial in attracting badly needed foreign investment
A high turnout Friday could indicate that his administration's efforts enjoy public support. But a low turnout could also merely mean that efforts to prevent election fraud dissuaded poor voters who saw no point in casting ballots if not paid to do so.
The results could have implications for the United States and Europe, too.
An Islamic fundamentalist party opposed to any use of American force against Iraq is thought likely to strengthen _ perhaps even double _ its presence in the Chamber of Representatives.
"We are very optimistic," said Mustapha Ramid, a Justice and Development Party leader. The party held 14 of the 325 seats in the previous parliament.
European efforts to stem illegal immigration from North Africa, meanwhile, could be helped if voters select a parliament capable of tackling the chronic unemployment which drives many young Moroccans to seek work in countries like France and Spain.
Lawmakers elected Friday will serve a five-year term. In a first for this Muslim nation, at least 30 seats _ close to 10 percent of the total _ will be reserved for women. The 37,500 polling stations open at 8 a.m and close 11 hours later. The government expects preliminary results early Saturday morning.
The question is: will Moroccans vote? Years of corruption, rigged elections, poverty and joblessness have left many disenchanted with politics. Turnout for the 1997 polls, which were clouded by allegations of vote-buying and other fraud, was 58 percent _ one of the lowest ever for a national election.
Even in Rabat, the capital that is years ahead of Morocco's poor rural villages, discontent is written large on the bored faces of young men who loiter in the narrow streets of the medina, the old fortified part of town.
"Follow me, come see how poor we are," said Aloui Mohammed, a medina resident who led a visitor to a ramshackle square where men shampooed their hair under communal open-air taps next to a trash heap. "There's nothing to do, nothing changes," he grumbled.
Officially, unemployment runs at 20 percent in the cities of Morocco, which has a population of 30 million.
But in the medina's maze of alleyways, amid its shops stocked with spices, carpets and pottery, and in Rabat's more modern quarters, joblessness seems even more rampant. Itinerant cigarette sellers and shoe-shiners roam from table to table in cafes. Many people seem to have little or nothing to do.
"We sacrifice our lives for our children, get them through school so they can get diplomas, only to see them on the streets with no jobs," said Abdenbi Belaloula, a 52-year-old fruit seller. With just days to before the election, he said he still did not know who to vote for.
And yet, there's ample choice. A dizzying 26 parties _ 10 more than in 1997 _ are contesting Friday's election. Close to a dozen are new, formed in the past two years.
To help illiterate voters _ the government says 61 percent of the 14 million registered voters have no academic qualifications _ all parties have chosen clearly identifiable logos to make them stand out on ballot papers. The Action Party is represented by an open eye; the Al Ahd Party chose a car; the Alliance of Liberties an alarm clock.
Besides TV and radio, the government has also tried to enthuse voters with Internet sites explaining the election system and text messages sent to mobile phone users, urging them to register. "Our future is in our hands," says the Interior Ministry's Web site.
As part of efforts to prevent fraud, the government imported 55,000 bottles of indelible ink to dab on voters' hands and stop them from voting twice, according to the official news agency, MAP.
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On the Net:
Morocco government election site: http://www.elections2002.ma
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