Parliamentary elections - November 2011
The king proposed the constitutional changes in response to the country's so-called February 20 movement that had been holding regular protests to demand a parliamentary monarchy in the kingdom. More than 98 per cent of voters endorsed the reforms in a referendum 01 July 2011. Under the constitutional reform the king will hand over some of his powers to elected officials but retain a decisive say on strategic decisions. The amended constitution gave more powers to parliament, government and the prime minister, who now must be appointed by the king from the party that wins the most assembly seats. The monarch, however, retains full authority over the military and religious affairs; and still appoints ambassadors and diplomats.
As part of the effort, King Mohammed moved up elections that were originally set for late 2012. King Mohammed called for a prompt vote so the country can create a new government. Some of Morocco's political parties had argued that more time was needed to prepare for the poll. Officials from some 20 political parties agreed in principle in August 2011, for the election to be held in mid-November. King Mohammed said he wanted early elections to follow through on a package of constitutional reforms that were designed to reduce the risk of an "Arab Spring"-style uprising in the country.
Around 45 per cent of registered voters turned out to cast their ballots on Friday. International observers described the turnout as "satisfying" in comparison with 2007, when only 37 per cent of eligible voters went to polls. Thirty-one parties are vying for the 395 seats in the lower house of parliament, 70 more than during the last election in 2007. Sixty of the overall parliamentary seats are reserved exclusively for women, and 30 seats for young people.
A moderate Islamist party won the most seats in Morocco's parliamentary elections and would lead the country in forming a new government. The party's main rival was the Coalition for Democracy, a loose eight-party pro-monarchy bloc. Most international observers considered them credible elections in which voters were able to choose freely and deemed the process relatively free of government irregularities. The government said 26 November 2011 that preliminary results from 25 November 2011 polling showed the Justice and Development Party (PJD) captured 107 seats - about one-fifth of the seats in the 395-member assembly. Prime Minister Abbas el Fassi's nationalist Istiqlal Party came in second. The prime minister called the PJD's win a "victory for democracy." Ruling party leaders said they were ready to enter talks with PJD on forming a coalition government.
The PJD, originally known as the Mouvement Populaire Démocratique et Constitutionnel (MPDC), was founded in 1967 by Dr Abdelkrim Al Khatib, a physician of current King Mohammed's father, and has maintained ties to the monarchy. A new ruling coalition led by the Justice and Development Party (PJD) was formed in late 2013 after the breakdown of the previous coalition, ending a period of uncertainty that had delayed policymaking. Since the formation of the new coalition, the pace of reforms picked up significantly.
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