Morocco's ruling party secures 125 parliament seats
Friday’s election was kingdom’s second general election since Arab Spring
Rabat
By Khaled Majdoub
RABAT, Morocco
Morocco’s ruling Justice and Development Party (PJD) has won the largest share of seats in the parliamentary elections on Saturday, securing 125 seats in the House of Representatives, according to the National Statistics Committee.
In a statement released on Sunday, the committee said that the liberal Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) came second claiming 102 of the 395-seat parliament.
Interior Minister Mohamed Hassad said the turnout was 43 percent.
Friday’s vote was the kingdom’s second general election since the Arab Spring, when protests led to constitutional reform that delegated some of the King Mohammed VI’s powers to the prime minister. The PJD won the 2011 elections and went on to form a broad coalition.
Moroccan elections in 2011, which coincided with that year’s spate of "Arab Spring" uprisings, saw a voter turnout of 45 percent, while polls held in 2007 saw a 37 percent turnout rate -- the lowest ever in the country’s history.
