Morocco's Islamist opposition held out the possibility of joining the next government on Friday, even after a veteran politician from the outgoing secular coalition was named as the new prime minister.
"We are not opposed in principle to taking part in the next government, but we will certainly not go in at any price," said Justice and Development Party (PJD) leader Saad Eddine Othmani. King Mohammed chose Abbas El Fassi, leader of the conservative Istiqlal (Independence) party and outgoing minister without portfolio, to head the next government after September 7 polls marked by a record-low turnout and widespread apathy.
He will inherit an administration that has spearheaded investor-friendly reforms and high-profile infrastructure projects but faces the double challenge of widespread poverty and an upsurge in activity by radical Islamists.
The PJD won 46 seats in parliament to Istiqlal's 52, but had hoped for at least 70 and accused unnamed opponents of using money to stop it taking top spot in the assembly's lower house.
As El Fassi began consultations on forming the new government, some political analysts played down the prospect of a role for the PJD, saying it burned its bridges by crying foul over electoral corruption. "I personally am in favour of us continuing in opposition but if there is a formal request then the idea will be put before our national council," Othmani told Reuters by phone.
"First we need to see which parties would take part, the government's priorities and the number of parties involved. The last government contained seven parties and that slowed things down. We need a strong government." In a speech on the eve of the polls, El Fassi suggested he was unfavourable to a coalition with the Islamists.
The decision lies ultimately with King Mohammed, who is executive head of state, military chief and religious leader and has the last word on policy. The PJD has moved from almost nowhere a decade ago to the centre of the political scene, campaigning as a clean-hands alternative to the parties in power. Despite lingering suspicions it wants to turn Morocco into a purist Islamist state, the secular establishment sees the PJD as part of a moderate religious bulwark against the rise of radical Islamists and al Qaeda's North African wing.