Elections in Morocco: Will the New Government Create Progress?
By Jane Clark
October 24, 2007 | Printer Friendly

As reported in an October 15, 2007 Associated Press article, Morocco has appointed a new, all secular cabinet.  Eight of the 34 cabinet ministers are from Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi’s Istiqlal party and seven are from the Socialist Union of Popular Forces.  It is also noteworthy that seven of the new cabinet members are women, as previously only two positions were held by women.  The increase in female participation has been encouraged by King Mohammed VI as Morocco attempts to modernize.  The King has said that “the new government must work for democratization and development.”

An October 15, 2007 Reuters article states that the new five party cabinet will have to fight to win back popular support since recently there has been widespread mistrust of party officials, resulting in a record low 37% turnout for the recent elections.  The new government will need to address issues such as poverty, unemployment, education reform, and a widening trade deficit.

The Islamist opposition party, the Justice and Development Party (PJD), believes that the new government will be short-lived, because it does not have popular or parliamentary support, according to an October 17, 2007 Reuters article.  They believe that the cabinet has grown too large to operate effectively.  The PJD has become a major party in recent years and hoped to become the largest party in parliament after the recent elections, but failed.  Members of the PJD believe that members of the opposition group bought votes and destroyed ballot papers at voting stations.  Adding to their frustration is Morocco’s voting system, which makes it challenging for any one party to gain a majority.  According to Lahcen Daoudi, deputy leader of PJD, "our country cannot progress under the current system. ... We need to end the balkanisation of party politics.”

References:

AP: Morocco Chooses New All-Secular Cabinet

Reuters: Morocco Unveils New Cabinet After Polls 

Reuters: Moroccan Islamist Says New Government Will Fall