| Parliament name (generic / translated) |
Barlaman / Parliament |
| Structure of parliament |
Bicameral |
| Chamber name (generic / translated) |
Majliss-annouwab / House of Representatives |
| Related chamber (for bicameral parliaments) |
Majlis al-Mustacharin / House of Councillors
|
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) |
25 November 2011 |
| Purpose of elections |
Elections were held for all the seats in the House of Representatives. |
The November 2011 elections were the first to be held following the adoption of a new Constitution in July 2011. At stake were 395 seats (up from 325) in the House of Representatives.
In the previous elections held in September 2007, the Istiqlal Party (PI) came in first with 52 seats, followed by the Justice and Development Party (PJD) with 46. The Popular Movement (MP), the National Rally of Independents (RNI) and the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP) took 41, 39 and 38 seats respectively. In October, the House of Representatives elected Mr. Mustapha Mansouri (RNI) as its new Speaker.
King Mohammed VI named Mr. Abbas El-Fassi (PI) as Prime Minister. In October, the King officially appointed the new cabinet, comprising the PI, the USFP, the RNI, the MP and the Progress and Socialism Party (PPS, 17 seats). The PJD remained in the opposition.
In February 2011, the street protests that led to the removal of long-serving presidents in Tunisia and in Egypt had repercussions in Morocco. On 20 February, peaceful protests started, calling for the establishment of a parliamentary monarchy. A loose alliance of Islamist and left-wing was formed and came to be known as the "February 20 Movement".
Two weeks into the protests, on 9 March, King Mohamed VI announced constitutional reforms. Draft amendments to the Constitution provided that the Head of Government would be appointed from among members of the party that obtained the highest number of seats in the House of Representatives. That person would be vested with the power to appoint members of government, subject to approval by the King, and to dissolve parliament. The King is Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Commander of the Faithful.
On 1 July, 98 per cent of voters approved the new Constitution; turnout was recorded at 73 per cent. The February 20 Movement, which had been calling for a parliamentary monarchy, was dissatisfied.
On 30 July, King Mohammed VI, in agreement with the various political parties, said that the new Constitution should be implemented through a new parliament. Elections, which were due by September 2012, were brought forward to 2011. On 16 August, the Interior Ministry, after consulting with the parties, announced that elections to the House of Representatives would be held on 25 November.
On 29 September, the House of Representatives revised the electoral law, increasing the statutory number of members from 325 to 395, with 60 reserved seats for women and 30 for men under 40 years.
In all, 7,102 candidates from 31 parties were vying for seats in 2011.
The major contenders in 2011 included the PJD, the PI, the USFP, the RNI, the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), the MP, the Constitutional Union (UC), and the PPS, as well as other parties that had urged citizens to vote in favour of the new Constitution.
About 57 per cent of the country's 13.6 million registered voters are under 35 years old. The major parties focused on job creation for young people.
Along with the radical Islamist group "Justice and Charity" (Al Adl wal Ihsan) and minor leftist parties, the February 20 Movement called for a boycott of the elections, qualifying them as "political playacting".
On 25 November 2011, 45 per cent of the 13.6 million registered voters turned out at the polls, up from the 37 per cent recorded in 2007.
The final results gave 107 seats to the PJD, 60 to the PI, 52 to the RNI, 47 to the PAM, 39 to the USFP, 32 to the MP, 23 to the UC and 18 to the PPS. The remainder went to small parties.
On 29 November, the King appointed Mr. Benkirane (PJD) as the new Head of Government.
On 19 December, the newly elected House of Representatives held its first session and elected Mr. Karim Ghellab (PI) as its Speaker.
On 3 January, Mr. Benkirane formed a coalition government comprising his PJD, the PI, the MP and the PPS.
The House of Representatives passed a vote of confidence in the government on 26 January 2012. |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 25 November 2011 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
13'475'435
6'117'847 (45.4%)
|
|
Notes
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Total
|
Constituency seats |
Women list |
List below 40 years |
|
| Justice and Development Party (PJD) |
107
|
83 |
16 |
8 |
|
| Istiqlal Party (PI) |
60
|
47 |
9 |
4 |
|
| National Rally of Independents (RNI) |
52
|
40 |
8 |
4 |
|
| Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) |
47
|
35 |
8 |
4 |
|
| Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP) |
39
|
30 |
6 |
3 |
|
| Popular Movement (MP) |
32
|
24 |
5 |
3 |
|
| Constitutional Union (UC) |
23
|
17 |
4 |
2 |
|
| Progress and Socialism Party (PPS) |
18
|
12 |
4 |
2 |
|
| Labour Party (PT) |
4
|
4 |
0 |
0 |
|
| Democratic and social Movement (MDS) |
2
|
2 |
0 |
0 |
|
| Renewal and Equality Party (PRE) |
2
|
2 |
0 |
0 |
|
| Party of Environment and Sustainable Development (PEDD) |
2
|
2 |
0 |
0 |
|
| Democratic Al Ahd Party |
2
|
2 |
0 |
0 |
|
| Moroccan Green Left Party (PGV) |
1
|
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
| Freedom and Social Justice Party (PLJS) |
1
|
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
| Democratic Forces Front (FFD) |
1
|
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
| Action Party (PA) |
1
|
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
| Unity and Democracy Party |
1
|
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
329
66
16.71%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
|
|
| Comments |
Sources:
House of Representatives (09.12.2011, 27.12.2011)
http://www.map.ma/fr
https://www.ndi.org/files/Morocco-Final-Election-Report-061812-ENG.pdf |
|
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module
