Morocco 2026 elections: IRI deploys US-led observers in Laayoune and Dakhla

09:59

A delegation from the International Republican Institute (IRI) has arrived in Laayoune as part of an international mission assessing Morocco’s 2026 parliamentary elections, bringing an American observation team to the country’s Southern Provinces ahead of the September 23 vote.

The mission, which runs from September 20 to 25, is being co-led by David Schenker, a former US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, and IRI board member Tami Longaberger. The institute says its observers will be deployed on election day across the Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra and Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab regions.

An international mission focused on the Southern Provinces

The IRI delegation is joining election analysts who have been working in Morocco since August. Its programme includes meetings with electoral authorities, political parties, civil society organizations and other stakeholders representing different parts of the Moroccan political landscape.

According to the institute, the mission is intended as a rapid-response technical assessment of the electoral process. It says its work will be conducted on a nonpartisan basis and in accordance with Moroccan electoral law and international standards for election observation. A preliminary statement is expected after the vote, followed by a more comprehensive report containing findings and recommendations.

David Schenker returns to Laayoune

The presence of David Schenker gives the mission an additional diplomatic dimension because of his previous involvement in US policy toward Morocco and the Sahara issue.

During his current visit, Schenker met Moulay Hamdi Ould Errachid, the mayor of Laayoune and a leading figure of the Istiqlal Party, according to local reports. The meeting took place as political activity intensified ahead of the September 23 parliamentary election.

The IRI's official announcement, however, defines the delegation's role in broader electoral terms, including contacts with authorities, political parties and civic organizations rather than participation in the campaign of any particular political formation.

A return to a region Schenker visited in 2021

Schenker previously visited Laayoune and Dakhla in January 2021, shortly after the administration of Donald Trump announced Washington’s recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the territory in December 2020.

During that visit, he travelled to Dakhla with Morocco’s then Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and US Ambassador to Morocco David Fischer. The delegation also visited the premises designated for a future US consulate in Dakhla.

The 2026 election mission comes in a different context, with the IRI formally presenting its current deployment as an international election-observation exercise. Its assessment will focus on the conduct of the parliamentary vote and the institutional and political environment surrounding it.

Attention turns to election day

With Moroccan voters due to cast their ballots on September 23, the deployment of international observers adds an external monitoring component to the electoral process in the Southern Provinces.

The IRI is expected to complete its field mission on September 25 and subsequently publish its assessment. Its findings will provide an independent account of the electoral process observed by the delegation, while remaining separate from the political positions of the parties competing in the election.