Morocco Emerges as Leading Democracy in Region Amidst Regional Challenges
Amidst ongoing conflicts and democratic setbacks across the broader Middle East and North Africa region, Morocco shines as a beacon of relative stability and gradual liberalization, as revealed in the latest annual Democracy Index report.
According to the 2023 index released by the Economist Intelligence Unit, Morocco ranked 93rd globally and second only to Tunisia as the Arab world's highest-scoring "hybrid regime," with an overall score of 5.04 out of 10. This marks a marginal improvement from the previous year, reflecting small yet steady gains in its democratic practices.
While assessing elements such as elections, political participation, civil liberties, and corruption, the report acknowledges Morocco's recent reforms that facilitated freer parliamentary elections in 2021, resulting in a turnout rebound to 50% after a previous dip.
However, restrictions persist on speech related to the Sahara issue, monarchy, or religion, and civil liberties were rated lowest at 4.12 due to limitations on LGBTQ rights and press freedoms regarding sensitive topics. Additionally, corruption and lack of transparency continue to hinder governance.
Despite these challenges, Morocco outperformed all MENA states except Tunisia. The region as a whole stagnated with an average score of 3.23, highlighting ongoing conflicts, instability, and reversals of freedoms elsewhere in the Arab world over the past year.
Globally, liberal democracies declined to just 7.8% of the population as political polarization and trends of conflict eroded standards even in established Western systems. Overall scores plummeted to a new low, with 68 countries experiencing declines.
Against this volatile geopolitical backdrop, Morocco's incremental advances position it as a frontrunner in the region. Through persistent political and social reforms, the North African kingdom maintains its trajectory of liberalization amidst challenging regional circumstances. While further progress is necessary, Morocco stands out as a beacon of democratic hope in the region.