The Secretary-General of the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP), Driss Lachgar, said that he was in favor of compulsory voting and imposing sanctions on individuals who will not attend the polls in the upcoming elections.
“Yes, I defend the duty to vote,” a measure applied in some Western democracies in order to ensure that all shall vote without any pressure, said Mr Lachgar in an interview published in the daily newspaper Le Matin.
“We call for preparing sanctions” against those who refrain from voting, added Mr Lachgar who proposes a 500 dirhams fine against them [the non-voters].
“This is the only way to end abstention and limit electoral corruption,” as declared by the head of the socialist party.
His proposition trigerred a barrage of critics among Moroccans on Facebook, with some of them calling his statement “ridiculous” and “goofy.”
The Moroccan Times.
