Status: 09.09.2021 5:44 a.m.
The ruling moderate Islamists suffered a severe setback in the parliamentary elections in Morocco. Of their 125 seats, they defended just 12. Conservative and liberal parties won the election.
The Moroccan ruling party PJD suffered a crushing defeat in the parliamentary elections. The moderate Islamist Party for Law and Justice, which has ruled since 2011, is expected to drop from 125 seats to twelve, as Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit announced early this morning.
The Independent National Assembly (RNI) party has 97 seats, followed by the equally liberal Party for Honesty and Modernity (PAM) with 82 members. The third largest group is therefore the center-right Istiqlal party with 78 seats.
Turnout significantly higher
The strongest parliamentary group in Morocco is the head of government, who was led by King Mohammed VI. is appointed. The center-right Istiqlal party also reportedly ended up in front of the PJD. At just over 50 percent, the turnout was significantly higher than in the last vote five years ago. At that time, only 43 percent of those entitled to vote had cast their vote.
One reason for the greater interest is probably that, for the first time, regional and local elections were held at the same time. The PJD had previously voiced allegations of electoral fraud. “We are very concerned,” she said on Wednesday. “We found several irregularities.” The party reported, among other things, “cash distributions” near polling stations and “confusion” with some electoral rolls that did not include some voters.