Moroccans voted on Friday in their
second parliamentary election since the king devolved some powers in a
constitutional reform five years ago to ease Arab Spring protests calling for
change.
After leading the ruling coalition
since 2011, moderate Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) is expected
to dominate the ballot over main rivals the Authenticity and Modernity Party
(PAM) which critics say is close to the palace.
No party openly challenges the king,
who retains most executive authority. Voters will select lawmakers for the
395-seat House of Representatives. The prime minister will be selected by the
king from the party that wins most seats.
Under the electoral system, no one
party can win an outright majority, forcing winners into a drawn-out process of
negotiations to form a coalition government.
PJD-led government pushed fiscal reforms and is
popular for its anti-corruption stance. But campaigning was marked by
accusations from critics that the royal establishment, uneasy with sharing
power with Islamists, was unfairly backing PAM.
-Reuters
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