General elections were held in Morocco on 7 October 2016.Morocco The World Factbook The ruling Justice and Development Party (PJD) remained the largest party, winning 125 of the 395 seats in the House of Representatives, a gain of 18 seats compared to the 2011 elections.

Saadeddine Othmani was appointed as prime minister by King Mohammed VI and formed his cabinet on 5 April 2017, heading a PJD-led coalition government that included the National Rally of Independents (RNI), the Popular Movement (MP), the Constitutional Union (UC), the Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS) and the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP).

Background The elections were announced by the Moroccan government in late January 2016.Morocco to hold parliamentary elections on Oct. 7 -government Reuters, 28 January 2016 They were the second elections after the constitutional reforms introduced in 2011 by King Mohammed VI in response to the Arab Spring. Despite the reforms, most executive powers still lie with the king.

The 2011 elections were won by the Justice and Development Party (PJD), which led the government until 2016. The "moderate Islamist" PJD included parties with differing ideologies in its coalition government.Moroccan Islamist Party Wins New Mandate in Elections Wall Street Journal, 8 October 2016

The incumbent Prime Minister going into the 2016 elections was Abdelilah Benkirane. The largest opposition party was the pro-monarchy Party of Authenticity and Modernity (PAM).The report: Morocco 2009, Oxford Business Group, p19Michael J. Willis (2012) Politics and Power in the Maghreb: Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco from Independence to the Arab Spring, C. Hurst & Co, pp149–150 PJD and PAM ran an "unusually hostile" campaign. The largest Islamist opposition group, Justice and Spirituality, as well as several left-wing organizations boycotted the election, protesting the monarchy's still considerable executive powers.Moderate Moroccan Islamists win election, coalition talks seen tough Reuters, 8 October 2016

Electoral system The 395 seats in the House of Representatives are elected by proportional representation in two tiers: 305 seats are elected from 92 multi-member constituencies, with the electoral threshold set at 6%, and the remaining 90 seats are elected from a single nationwide constituency with the electoral threshold set at 3%. The nationwide seats are reserved, with 60 for women and 30 for people under the age of 40.Electoral system Inter-Parliamentary Union

Under the electoral system no party can win a majority in the parliament, and parties must form a coalition government.

Results The vote had 43% turnout.Observers: Moroccan election overall fair, but turnout low Associated Press, 9 October 2016Parliamentary Elections 2016 Maroc.ma, 7 October 2016 The Justice and Development Party won the most votes and 125 out of the 395 seats. The Authenticity and Modernity Party won 102 seats, and the rest of the seats were split among smaller parties.

PartyConstituencyNationwideTotalseats+/–Votes%SeatsVotes%SeatsWomenYouthJustice and Development Party1,571,65927.14981,618,96327.88189125+18Authenticity and Modernity Party1,205,44420.82811,216,55220.95147102+55Istiqlal Party621,28010.7335620,04110.687446–14National Rally of Independents558,8759.6528544,1189.376337–15Popular Movement409,0857.0620397,0856.845227–5Socialist Union of Popular Forces367,6226.3514359,6006.194220–19Party of Progress and Socialism279,2264.827273,8004.723212–6Constitutional Union268,8134.6415263,7204.543119–4Federation of the Democratic Left139,7932.412164,5752.83002NewDemocratic and Social Movement74,4721.29377,6301.34003+1Covenant and Restoration Alliance49,0400.85051,9060.89000NewFront of Democratic Forces51,9450.90049,3600.85000–135,6450.62035,1670.61000–220,2400.35123,5740.410010New Democratic Party17,0030.29019,2840.33000NewParty of Renaissance and Virtue15,5220.27014,9550.260000Party of Liberty and Social Justice10,8110.19014,7350.25000–1Democratic Independence Party13,0970.23013,4180.23000011,1940.19012,7100.22000NewParty of Hope7,7470.1309,1170.160000Labour Party2,9100.0507,2280.12000–4Social Centre Party6,1560.1106,9770.120000Moroccan Union for Democracy5,2660.0906,3790.110000Democratic Society Party3,0460.0505,1100.090000Reform and Development Party16,5010.280––––0013,3890.231––––10National Democratic Party5,1150.090––––00Independents9,6560.170––––00Invalid/blank votes –– –––––Total5,790,5521003055,806,00410060303950Registered voters/turnout15,702,592 –15,702,592 ––––Source: CEC (Votes) Le Matin (Total seats, Women's seats)

Reactions Morocco's election observer body said that the voting was largely free and fair. It reported some cases of vote-buying, but said that they were rare and sporadic. It also expressed concern about the relatively low (43%) turnout. Critics also alleged that the royal establishment used its influence to favour the pro-monarchy PAM.

Aftermath Following the elections, Khalid Adnoun, a spokesman for the second-placed Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), ruled out joining a coalition government, forcing the PJD to partner with multiple smaller parties in order to secure a majority. On 10 October, Abdelillah Benkirane was reappointed prime minister by King Mohammed VI in accordance with the 2011 constitutional reforms which required the king to appoint a prime minister from the party receiving the most votes.Moroccan king reappoints Abdelilah Bekirane as PM Al Jazeera, 10 October 2016 However, after Aziz Akhannouch was elected leader of the National Rally of Independents (RNI), he called for the new coalition to include the Constitutional Union (UC) and the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP). This was rejected by Benkirane, leading to a political deadlock as a government was unable to be formed.

On 15 March 2017, Benkirane was dismissed by King Mohammed VI, who two days later appointed Saadeddine Othmani in his place to form a government. On 25 March, Othmani announced that the new coalition would consist of the PJD, RNI, UC, USFP, Popular Movement and Party of Progress and Socialism.Saad Eddine Othmani Announces end of Deadlock, Formation of Government Morocco World News, 25 March 2017 The members of the cabinet were announced by the King on 5 April, with some key portfolios going to technocrats.Maroc : le roi nomme un gouvernement de technocrates qui marginalise les islamistes Le Monde, 5 April 2017

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