Parliamentary elections - October 2016
Morocco's Islamic Justice and Development Party (PJD) emerged as the winner after the country voted for its 10th parliament since independence in 1956. PJD, which has been running a coalition government since 2011, won 125 seats, while the opposition Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) came second, with 102 seats, the interior ministry said on 08 October 2016 after all ballots were counted. The Istiqlal (Independence) Party - the oldest in the country, founded in 1944 - came third by winning 46 seats, following by National Rally of Independents (RNI) with 37 seats, and Popular Movement (MP) with 27.
In 2016, Moroccans elected the second Parliament since King Mohamed VI announced a series of reforms in early 2011 that aim to transform Morocco into a constitutional monarchy. Three hundred ninety-five seats in the House of Representatives are up for election 07 October 2016, with 305 from multi-member constituencies and 90 from a single nationwide constituency of which 60 are reserved for women and 30 for men under the age of 40. The King is obliged to appoint the Prime Minister from the party that wins the most seats.
Riccardo Fabiani wrote September 22, 2016 that e moderate Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) and the secular Party of Authenticity and Modernity (PAM) " ... each managed to secure the support of one socialist party: the Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS) for the former and the social-democratic Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP) for the latter. Most of the other parties are waiting on the final results to negotiate their participation with the winner in a ruling coalition... these parties are mainly reactivating their membership and patronage networks by making unlikely electoral promises and hardening their rhetoric ...
"Local media have widely spoken of the king’s neutrality in this ballot, but far from being the hallmark of a free and fair election, King Mohamed VI’s distance is a sign that this round hardly matters in Morocco’s institutional division of labor. The king is de facto the exclusive decision maker... "
Moroccans vote 07 October 2016 in only the second parliamentary election since the king relinquished some of his powers to an elected cabinet in 2011 under a constitutional reform to help ease Arab Spring-style protests demanding change. No party openly challenged King Mohamed's authority, but the Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) looked to consolidate gains in the constitutional monarchy system against rivals who analysts said are closer to the palace.
A new wave of radical left-wing parties in Morocco was growing, with emerging groups offering fresh political alternatives to the main socialist party, which was in a state of decline. The rise of the far left came after the dramatic fall in electoral support for the Socialist Union of Popular Forces Party (USFP), the country's main leftist party, and a genuine opposition force in the 1970s and 1980s. The extreme fragmentation of Morocco's left was exacerbated by ideological differences and diverse stances on issues such as the constitution, monarchy, elections, and social and economic reforms.
The USFP used to pride itself on being the party of the educated and the urban. Its electoral base is now restricted to districts with high rates of illiteracy. The beginning of the fall started when USFP decided to join subsequent coalition governments between 2002 and 2011, but failed to play a substantial role. The other leftist party, the Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS), has been part of several coalitions, including the outgoing government led by the Islamic PJD party, despite fundamental ideological differences. PPS is now seen as an establishment party and is no longer considered to represent the ideals of the left.
The Democratic Left Federation (FGD), a coalition of three far left-wing parties - the Socialist Democratic Vanguard Party, the National Ittihadi Congress Party, and the Unified Socialist Party (PSU) - is building momentum to form a left-wing political force. With more than 30 parties to choose from, many of which have no clear platform, voters seemed to be turning to religion and nationalism to guide their political choice.
Around 16 million Moroccans of the country's 34 million are registered to vote. Candidates from 30 parties will compete to win seats in the 395-member Chamber of Representatives, the lower house of parliament. The main battle was hotly contested between the ruling Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) and opposition Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM). The Istiqlal (Independence) Party, the oldest in the country founded in 1944, was also projected to do well in this election.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
