RABAT // Morocco’s ruling Islamists have beaten their liberal rivals in parliamentary elections five years after sweeping to power following protests inspired by the Arab Spring.
The interior ministry announced that prime minister Abdelilah Benkirane’s Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) had won 125 seats out of 395 in Friday’s polls, — 12 more than in the 2011 election. Mr Benkirane is likely to continue in the post as the king is expected to appoint a prime minister from the largest party.
Its main rival, the Party of Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), which had campaigned against the “Islamisation” of Moroccan society, won 102 seats.
The rise of the PJD came about in 2011 after King Mohammed VI relinquished some of his near-absolute power following massive street protests. Hopes of change in the country were high and the PJD was the first Islamist party to win a national election, and the first to lead a government, albeit with coalition partners after failing to win an outright majority.
But analysts say that when it comes to the major long-term and strategic issues such as foreign policy the key decision-maker remains the king, the scion of a monarchy that has ruled for 350 years.
Observers from the Council of Europe who monitored Friday’s vote said it was organised “with integrity and full transparency”.
But the delegation said it “regrets that the current voters’ registration system and the awareness campaign have not produced a turnout higher than in 2011, particularly among young voters.” Voter turnout this time was 43 per cent.
It also noted “the surprisingly high amount of spoilt ballot papers” and said there were reports of “electoral fraud” although members of the delegation did not witness any wrongdoing.
Interior Minister Mohamed Hassad rejected accusations of voter fraud from both sides.
On Friday the PJD and the PAM exchanged accusations of voting irregularities, while the media reported that a video shared on social networks had showed a man stuffing a ballot box. A statement by the PJD said the Islamists were “very concerned about numerous reports of fraud being carried out by authorities” in favour of the PAM and urged the interior ministry to intervene. PAM spokesman Khalid Adennoun said his party had filed “50 complaints” of voting irregularities, some concerning the PJD in Tangiers.
But the head of the European observers team, Ian Liddell-Grainger, said he was confident that the interior ministry had done a good job.
“I don’t feel that at any stage the ministry interfered,” he said.
Apart from the two main parties, Istiqlal, which historically fought for independence from France, came third with 45 seats.
Nine other parties also won seats, including the National Gathering of Independents which took 37 and the Federation of the Democratic Left which clinched two.
A third of the Moroccan population is illiterate so the 30 parties in contention were identified on ballot papers by symbols, such as a tractor or camel.
The 2011 election was held after a new constitution transferred some of the king’s powers to parliament, at a time when autocratic regimes were falling in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya and this election was regarded as a test of those reforms..
Over the past five years his PJD has been weakened by rising unemployment and plummeting growth while critics said it failed to make good on promises to tackle corruption.
The PJD also faced a series of scandals within its ranks including a drugs bust, a land-grab deal and the suspension of two vice presidents caught in a compromising position on a beach.
The PAM, formed in 2008 by a close adviser to the king, had hoped to use the embarrassing disclosures to their advantage. Although it came second, the party more than doubled the number of the seats it held. However, both the PJD and the PAM have ruled out joining forces in a grand coalition.
* Agence France-Presse