IFES Election Guide - Election Profile for Morocco

Election Profile:

Overview

Results

Of Interest/Links

Sources

Country: Morocco
Official Name: Kingdom of Morocco
Election Type: Parliamentary
Date: November 25, 2011

Source for election date

At stake in this election:

325 seats in the Chamber of Representatives (Majlis al-Nuwab)

Description of government structure:

Chief of State: King MOHAMED VI
Head of Government: Prime Minister Abbas EL FASSI
Assembly: Morocco has a bicameral Parliament (Barlaman) consisting of the Chamber of Counselors (Majlis al-Mustacharin) with 270 seats and the Chamber of Representatives (Majlis al-Nuwab) with 325 seats.

Description of electoral system:

The King is the hereditary head of state.
The Prime Minister is appointed by the monarch. The monarch is required to choose the prime minister from the largest party in parliament.
In the Chamber of Counselors (Majlis al-Mustacharin) 270 members are elected by indirect vote to serve 9-year terms*. In the Chamber of Representatives (Majlis al-Nuwab), 295 members are elected through a closed-list proportional representation system to serve 5-year terms and 30 members are reserved for women to serve 5-year terms.**

* Members are elected indirectly by local councils, professional organizations, and labor syndicates. One-third of the members are renewed every three years.

** 295 members are elected in 95 multi-seat constituencies. The thirty reserved seats are from a national list of women.

Main parties in the electoral race:

Party: Socialist Union of Popular Forces / Arabic: الاتحاد الاشتراكي للقوات الشعبية, French: Union Socialiste des Forces Populaires (USFP)
Leader: Mohammed EL-YAZGHI
Seats won in this Chamber of Representatives election: 39
Seats won in last Chamber of Representatives election: 38
Party: Istiqlal Party / Arabic: حزب الإستقلال hizb al-istiqlāl, French: Parti de l'Istiqlal (PI)
Leader: Abbas EL FASSI
Seats won in this Chamber of Representatives election: 60
Seats won in last Chamber of Representatives election: 52
Party: National Rally of Independents / Arabic: التجمع الوطني للأحرار‎ French: Rassemblement National des Indépendents (RNI)
Leader: Salaheddine MEZOUAR
Seats won in this Chamber of Representatives election: 52
Seats won in last Chamber of Representatives election: 39
Party: Party of Justice and Development / Arabic: حزب العدالة والتنمية‎ French: Parti de la Justice et du Développement (PJD)
Leader: Abdelillah BENKIRANE
Seats won in this Chamber of Representatives election: 107
Seats won in last Chamber of Representatives election: 46
Party: Popular Movement / لحركة الشعبية‎ Mouvement populaire (MP)
Leader: Mohamed LAENSER
Seats won in this Chamber of Representatives election: 32
Seats won in last Chamber of Representatives election: 41
Party: Constitutional Union / (Arabic: الاتحاد الدستوري‎, French: Union constitutionelle (UC)
Leader: Mohamed ABIED
Seats won in this Chamber of Representatives election: 23
Seats won in last Chamber of Representatives election: 27
Party: Front of Democratic Forces / Front des Forces Démocratiques (FFD)
Leader: Thami EL KHYARI
Seats won in this Chamber of Representatives election: 1
Seats won in last Chamber of Representatives election: 9
Party: Party of Progress and Socialism / حزب التقدم والاشتراكية /Parti du Progrès et du Socialisme (PPS)
Leader: Mohammed Nabil Ben ABDALLAH
Seats won in this Chamber of Representatives election: 18
Seats won in last Chamber of Representatives election: 17