Moroccans voted Friday in the first legislative election since the king introduced constitutional reforms after the Arab Spring uprisings, with an Islamist party expected to make strong gains. The main contenders in the election, the second in north Africa since the Arab Spring began, are the moderately Islamist Justice and Development party and a handful of liberal, secular parties.
Opinion polls are not allowed in Morocco, but observers said Justice and Development could emerge with the most votes after similar success by a moderate Islamist party in Tunisia's first democratic election last month. Its main rivals are Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi's centre-right Independence party and the Coalition for Democracy, an eight-party pro-monarchy bloc. The bloc includes two of the five governing parties - the Popular Movement and Finance Minister Salaheddine Mezouar's National Rally of Independents.
The election comes less than five months after a July referendum overwhelmingly approved a new constitution proposed by King Mohammed VI as autocratic regimes toppled in nearby Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya. The amended constitution gives parliament a greater say in the legislative process and strengthens the role of the prime minister, who now must be appointed by the king from the party which wins the most seats in the assembly.