2011 Moroccan general election

The 2007 parliamentary elections were the second of King Mohammed VI's reign. They were characterized by a relatively low turnout of 37%, 15 points down from that of 2002 (52%).[3] The Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP) - the largest party in the outgoing government - unexpectedly lost 12 of its seats. The Istiqlal Party came first with 52 seats, ahead of the Justice and Development Party with 46, despite the latter coming first in terms of number of votes. A coalition of five parties (Istiqlal, Popular movement, National rally of independents, Party of Progress and Socialism and Socialist Union of Popular Forces) with a narrow combined majority in the House of Representatives formed a government headed by Abbas El Fassi, the president of the Istiqlal party.

Following national protests held in early February 2011 in solidarity with the Egyptian revolution, a youth group (later known as the 20 February movement) and the Islamist organization Al Adl Wa Al Ihssane called for a day of protests.[5][6] Among the demands of the organisers was that the constitutional role of the king should be "reduced to its natural size".[7] On 20 February, several thousands of people participated in demonstrations across Morocco.[8] On 26 February, a further protest was held in Casablanca.[9] Further protests were held in Casablanca and Rabat on 20 March.[10]

On 9 March, King Mohammed announced that he would form a commission to work on constitutional revisions, which would make proposals to him by June, after which a referendum would be held on the draft constitution.[11]

A committee representing various parties was tasked by the king to prepare the new constitution. A draft was published in early June 2011.[12][13] A referendum for its adoption was conducted on 1 July 2011 and registered a record high participation rate with a 70% turnout; the reforms were passed with 98% approval.[13] The protest movement however, previously called for a boycott of the referendum.[13] Consequently, the date of the parliamentary election was brought forward from September 2012 to October 2011.

The new constitution, entered into effect on 1 August 2011, created a number of new civil rights, including constitutional guarantees of freedom of expression, social equality for women, rights for speakers of minority languages and the independence of judges.[14]

Changes to electoral and administrative law were also significant. The king rescinded his power to appoint prime ministers, obliging himself to appoint a member of the party winning the most seats in a parliamentary election.[14][15] The office of prime minister, in turn, was given additional powers to appoint senior civil servants and diplomats, in consultation with the king's ministerial council.[16][17] The prime minister replaced the king as the head of government and chair of the government council, gaining the power to dissolve parliament.[18]

The voting system was also changed so that the number of parliamentary seats decided on a constituency basis was increased from 295 to 305. Additional seats were reserved for election from national party lists, 60 consisting only of female candidates and 30 for male candidates under the age of 40.[1][2][3]

After negotiations between the interior ministry, which oversees elections, and some 20 political parties, the government proposed that parliamentary elections should be moved to 11 November, with the possibility of shifting it due to its proximity to the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha.[19] In the end, the election was held on 25 November 2011. The electoral campaign took place from 12 to 24 November.[20]

There were fears that a low voter turnout, already traditionally a problem, would be further exacerbated by a boycott call by the pro-reform February 20 movement and the Islamist organization Al Adl Wa Al Ihssane, who felt that the constitutional reforms were insufficient.[3][21]

All Moroccan citizens are eligible for voting if they are at least 18 years old and have their civil and political rights unrestrained by a court order.[2] A person is eligible for candidacy if they fulfil the conditions set out in the law regulating parliament (law 27.11 articles 6 to 10), according to which the following are ineligible:[2]

• People who are ineligible to vote[22]
• People who have acquired the Moroccan citizenship less than 5 years before the voting date.[22]
• People who, on the voting date, are subjected to a national court sentence forbidding them from exercising political life. As long as the sentence is still into effect or not currently under appeal.[22]
• People who, on the voting date, are either incarcerated or subjected to a suspended prison sentence, regardless of the duration.[22]
• People who currently (or retired less than a year before the voting date) hold the following positions: Judges, provincial governors, Caids, Pashas, Khalifas, Moqadems, military, auxiliary forces, provincial directors of the ministry of the Interior, Inspectors of the ministry of the Interior, public financing inspectors, presidents of electoral districts, the general bailiff of the state, the regional bailiffs.[22]
• People who previously held the positions mentioned above - in a region they are running in - but retired less than two years before the voting date. This condition additionally applies to police officers.[22]
• People who currently (or retired less than a year before the voting date) hold the following positions (in the region they are running in): Directors of public institutions, CEOs of companies where the state holds more than 30% shares, presidents of provincial or regional ministerial bureaus.[22]
• People who exercised a public function - in the region they are running in - that required them to carry a firearm during their work and have not retired more than a year before the voting date. Regardless of the nature, duration or remuneration of their mission.[22]

A total of 30 parties proposed candidates in the election[23] while three far-left parties - the communist "Talia", the Unified Socialist Party and the "Nahj Ad-Dimuqrati" - called for a boycott. The Islamist organization Al Adl Wa Al Ihssane and the 20 February protest movement also called for a boycott.

Istiqlal was the only party that filled a list for every constituency. The Justice and Development Party and the Socialist Union of Popular Forces both fielded 393 candidates.[24]

Source:

The eight leaders of the coalition for democracy

The main contestants in the election were three political formations : the moderate Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD), headed by Salé's deputy Abdelillah Benkirane; the "Coalition for Democracy" which is an alliance headed by Morocco's current minister of finance Salaheddine Mezouar; and the Koutla alliance of the incumbent prime minister Abbas El Fassi[3]

The Coalition for Democracy was formed on 10 October 2011 and groups eight parties: the National Rally of Independents, the Popular Movement, the Constitutional Union, the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), the Labour Party, the Green Left Party, the Party of Renaissance and Virtue and the Socialist Party.[25]

The Koutla groups three parties which are members of the 2007-2011 government; namely the Istiqlal Party, the Socialist Union of Popular Forces and the Party of Progress and Socialism.[26] The Koutla alliance criticized the decision of two other member parties of the current government to join the Coalition for Democracy alliance with other parties of the opposition.[26] Consequently, the leaders of the Koutla made implicit calls for the Justice and Development party to join their alliance.[26]

the three leaders of the Koutla (center)

The below table lists the most prominent parties in the Moroccan political scene (bold indicates members of the 2007-2011 government):

(*): Was formed after the 2007 elections.
(**): Joint list of the National Democratic Party and Al Ahd
(***): Joint list of the National Congress Party, the Democratic Socialist Vanguard Party and the Unified Socialist Party