RNI and Moroccans Abroad: Strong on Investment, Much Less Specific on Political Rights — MMNEWS Score: 41%

It is a compact, heavily socio-economic programme, with measurable promises on jobs, education, health, energy and social protection. The party aims, among other things, to create one million jobs and bring unemployment below 9% by 2031.

But when the same programme is read through the eyes of a Moroccan living in Amsterdam, Montreal, Brussels, Dakar or Dubai, another question emerges:

Where exactly are Moroccans abroad?

For the first instalment of MMNEWS’ 2026 election series, we examined the RNI not according to its entire political offer, but according to one specific criterion: the concrete place given to Moroccans of the World.

A strong economic vision of the diaspora

This is clearly where the RNI has the most developed discourse. In recent months, senior figures linked to the party and the outgoing government have repeatedly presented Moroccans abroad as more than a source of remittances.

At a national forum on investment and Moroccans of the World in Tangier, Aziz Akhannouch stressed that their contribution extends to expertise, skills, international networks and investment capacity. Transfers by Moroccans abroad exceeded 122 billion dirhams in 2025, according to figures cited at the event.

Investment Minister Karim Zidane has also stated that the government wants to significantly increase the share of diaspora investment, presenting MREs as a strategic lever for national development.

That direction is consistent with the broader RNI programme, which places investment, entrepreneurship, employment and access to productive financing at the centre of its economic strategy. For MMNEWS, this is a real strength.

The RNI does not view the diaspora solely through nostalgia or remittances. It increasingly sees Moroccans abroad as investors, entrepreneurs and holders of international expertise.

But the electoral programme does not yet translate that vision into a full MRE policy

This is where our assessment becomes more demanding. Among the twelve flagship measures publicly presented in the RNI’s 2026–2031 programme, MMNEWS did not identify a dedicated MRE pillar covering the major political and administrative questions facing Moroccans abroad.

There is no flagship measure specifically devoted to direct voting from abroad, voting in consulates, dedicated parliamentary representation or diaspora constituencies.

Nor did we identify, among those twelve measures, a specific reform of consular services, automatic electoral registration for MREs, or a detailed proposal on their institutional political representation.

That absence matters in 2026.

Moroccans abroad can participate in the September legislative elections through a proxy mechanism, including the new electronic procedure for establishing that proxy. But the ballot itself is still cast physically in Morocco by another voter.

For a party seeking to lead the government again, the issue is therefore not theoretical: does it want the current model to remain, or does it propose another one?

The programme reviewed so far does not provide a sufficiently precise answer.

Social policy is ambitious — but primarily designed for residents inside Morocco

The RNI promises higher pensions, an inflation-indexed social support mechanism, health reforms, improved education and new employment protections. These measures may benefit returning MREs or people who retain economic and social links with Morocco. But they are not the same thing as a dedicated diaspora policy.

Questions such as bilateral social-security agreements, pension portability, assistance with permanent return, administrative recognition of foreign careers or the specific situation of retired Moroccans abroad are not prominent in the core measures MMNEWS reviewed. The distinction is important. A general social programme can include Moroccans abroad indirectly. An MRE programme begins when their particular cross-border problems are addressed directly.

The younger generations remain another weak point

Morocco already operates programmes for young Moroccans abroad, including cultural stays, summer universities and initiatives designed to strengthen ties with the Kingdom. In July 2026, the Summer University brought together 300 young MREs from more than 26 countries, 88% of whom were born abroad.

But in the RNI’s main electoral offer reviewed by MMNEWS, we do not yet see a major proposal specifically addressing Arabic or Amazigh teaching abroad, Moroccan cultural transmission, second- and third-generation engagement or the long-term relationship of diaspora youth with Morocco.

For a community whose demographic reality is increasingly shaped by people born outside Morocco, this is not a marginal question.

It is strategic.

MMNEWS MRE Score: 41%

Our score does not assess whether the RNI is a good or bad party. It assesses only how developed, concrete and measurable its offer for Moroccans abroad currently appears.

Political participation and representation: 0/20

No major dedicated proposal identified in the core programme on direct voting abroad, consular polling stations or specific parliamentary representation.

Consular and administrative services: 4/15

The party promotes public-service modernization broadly, but the programme reviewed does not yet set out a sufficiently specific MRE consular reform.

Investment and entrepreneurship: 18/20

This is by far the RNI’s strongest MRE dimension: investment, skills, productive capital and diaspora economic participation are clearly part of its political discourse.

Savings and remittances: 6/10

The party recognizes the economic importance of diaspora transfers and increasingly wants them converted into productive investment, although the concrete instruments could be more detailed.

Social rights, pensions and return: 3/10

Strong general social commitments, but limited MRE-specific treatment.

Younger generations and cultural connection: 2/10

Existing public programmes exist, but the electoral offer lacks a major, clearly identifiable new commitment.

Mobilising Moroccan talent abroad: 5/10

A real political priority is visible, although the electoral mechanisms remain less detailed than the rhetoric.

Precision of MRE commitments: 2/5

TOTAL: 41%

A score that can still change

This 40% is not frozen. If the RNI publishes an additional MRE chapter, detailed proposals or new commitments before polling day, MMNEWS will update its assessment.

That is precisely the purpose of this series. The RNI currently has a relatively clear economic vision of the diaspora, particularly as a source of investment and expertise.

Its weakness lies elsewhere: the programme does not yet offer the same level of precision on political citizenship, representation, consular administration, social rights and younger generations. That creates an important contrast. The RNI appears ready to ask Moroccans abroad:

How can you invest more in Morocco?

MMNEWS’ question is broader: What does the party propose so that they can also participate more fully in Morocco’s political, administrative and social life? For now, that second answer remains incomplete.