The Moroccan government confirmed Saturday that the moderate Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) had won parliamentary elections. The party captured 80 seats in the 395-seat assembly, the most of any party, in Friday’s polls according to provisional results, Interior Minister Taib Cherkaoui told a news conference. “The elections took place under a climate of transparence and free competition,” he told a news conference.
PJD officials said earlier that their own figures showed they had won over 100 seats in the election, the country’s first since a reform of the constitution that gives more power to parliament and the prime minister. According to the new constitution overwhelmingly approved in a July referendum, King Mohammed VI must now pick the prime minister from the party which wins the most seats in parliament, instead of naming whomever he pleases.
“We thank the Moroccans who voted for the PJD and we can only be satisfied,” PJD secretary general Abdelilah Benkirane told reporters after the interior minister confirmed his party had won the most seats in the election. Prime Minister Abbas el Fassi’s Independence Party came in second, capturing 47 seats.