Abstract
This paper examines how Moroccan politicians employ populist discourse in their
speeches to convey their ideas and perspectives, and to influence public attitudes and
behaviors in order to realize their political aspirations. The paper‘s major interest is to bring
the Moroccan political discourse under the rhetorical microscope. In other words, the
discourse will be approached through rhetorical strategies lenses. Besides, the paper aims to
shift the reaction-based analysis that characterizes most critiques of Moroccan political
discourse to dealing with political discourse through the lenses of rhetorical criticism. The
attempt is to combine Aristotle‘s and Fairclough‘s theories of rhetoric to approach Moroccan
political discourse. The conclusion suggests the necessity of a constant evaluation of the
quality of political speech in order to enhance public taste and promote a more rhetoric-based
discourse.
Key words: Rhetoric, Populism, Moroccan politics.
