UC and Moroccans abroad: the final platform recognises the diaspora but lacks delivery tools

Recognition is now part of the platform

The clearest advance is explicit recognition. The UC structures its programme around four broad commitments and ten policy pillars. The tenth brings together culture, sport, Moroccans abroad and Morocco’s international influence. The party also promises to promote diaspora skills. This wording matters because it moves MREs beyond the familiar role of remittance senders or distant beneficiaries of domestic reform. They are named as holders of expertise that can contribute to national development.

But recognition is only the first rung of public policy. The programme does not say which institution would identify relevant professionals, how universities, businesses and regional authorities would access that expertise, or how many projects should be delivered during the parliamentary term. It provides no budget, timetable or performance indicator. The intention is credible and attributable; the operating model is missing. That distinction lies at the heart of the MMNEWS score.

Political rights remain the central gap

For many Moroccans living overseas, participation begins with a basic question: how can they cast a ballot from their country of residence? The final UC platform offers no direct overseas-voting mechanism. It does not choose between polling stations abroad, postal ballots, secure electronic voting or continued reliance on proxy voting. MMNEWS therefore awards 3 points out of 15. The score does not express a preference for one voting technology. It reflects the absence of a practical answer to one of the diaspora’s longest-running democratic demands.

Parliamentary representation scores 5 out of 10. An earlier official UC memorandum proposed representing Moroccans abroad in the House of Councillors. That is meaningful evidence that the party has considered an institutional route for the diaspora. However, the 2026 programme does not clearly renew the proposal, allocate seats, define a selection method or explain how diaspora representation would fit Morocco’s territorial and professional model. An earlier position cannot automatically be converted into a current manifesto pledge. MMNEWS counts it as political continuity, not as a fully specified commitment.

Digital government needs a diaspora service contract

The UC’s wider digital-modernisation agenda could make a material difference to people who must deal with Moroccan authorities from thousands of kilometres away. Remote applications, online tracking and fewer in-person visits would reduce both expense and uncertainty. Previous party statements have also called for better services, communication and support for Moroccans abroad.

The final programme, however, sets no diaspora-specific service standards. It does not publish maximum processing times, identify procedures that should become fully digital, establish a transparent complaints channel or describe how consulates will coordinate with administrations inside Morocco. This produces a score of 4 out of 10. A portal is useful, but a service becomes accountable only when users can see what has been received, how long it should take and where to appeal when the process fails. That operational contract is absent.

A business-friendly outlook without a dedicated MRE gateway

Economic policy is the UC’s strongest natural ground. The programme supports investment, enterprise, employment, innovation, regional development and more effective governance. Those priorities could benefit a Moroccan engineer in Montreal considering a technology venture, a retailer in Brussels seeking a local partner, or a professional in Dubai looking to invest in a home region. A more predictable business environment helps domestic and diaspora investors alike.

General reform, however, is not the same as a diaspora investment policy. The platform does not establish a one-stop MRE investment office with authority to coordinate administrations. It offers no co-investment fund, guarantee scheme, processing deadline or dispute-resolution channel tailored to non-resident investors. Nor does it explain how distance-related risks involving land, permits or project monitoring would be reduced. The UC receives 10 out of 20: its economic philosophy is compatible with diaspora enterprise, but the bridge between that philosophy and overseas capital remains incomplete.

Savings, social protection and return are underdeveloped

The thinness is most visible in the savings and remittances category. The programme proposes no dedicated instrument to channel a portion of diaspora savings towards productive companies, regional projects, infrastructure or the energy transition. It does not address transfer costs, cross-border financial information or safeguards for small overseas investors. That earns 1 point out of 10.

The UC’s national discussion of pension reform and social protection may help people who eventually settle in Morocco, but it does not answer the cross-border problems created by careers divided between two or more systems. There is no detail on combining contribution periods, portability, multilingual guidance or family support. The category receives 3 out of 10. Return and resettlement also receive 3: strengthening ties is positive, but the platform sets out no coordinated route covering recognition of qualifications, business creation, schooling, healthcare, housing or administrative reintegration.

Culture and expertise provide the strongest foundation

The decision to place Moroccans abroad within a pillar covering culture and international reach supports a score of 4 out of 5 for younger generations, language and culture. It recognises that attachment to Morocco is not sustained by financial transfers alone. Language learning, artistic creation, sport, family memory and the ability of dual nationals to navigate several cultural settings all matter. Full marks would require delivery details: language provision, digital resources, partnerships with community organisations and a clear place for Amazigh heritage.

Skills mobilisation is the UC’s best-performing category at 8 out of 10. The commitment is explicit and responds to a genuine shift in diaspora engagement. Many professionals want to contribute without permanently relocating. Short expert missions, joint research, remote teaching, mentoring, business networks and regional projects could turn that willingness into measurable value. The programme names the resource and the goal, although it stops short of designing the platform that would connect people to assignments.

The MMNEWS verdict

The move from 40% to 41% is neither a symbolic reward nor a political penalty. It follows a consistent principle: a public, attributable and measurable mechanism receives more credit than a broad intention. The final programme improves the visibility of Moroccans abroad and explicitly values their expertise. It still leaves major questions unanswered on voting, updated representation, consular performance, productive savings, portable social rights and organised return.

The UC now has a foundation from which to build. A dedicated diaspora roadmap—naming responsible institutions, deadlines, budgets and indicators—would make the offer far more persuasive and easier to scrutinise. Until then, 41% accurately describes an intermediate position: Moroccans abroad have entered the programme’s language, but they have not yet received the full set of rights, services and investment tools that would turn recognition into policy.