An Islamist party won the most seats in Morocco’s parliamentary election on Friday in the latest sign of a Middle Eastern swing toward Islamism.
The election was Morocco’s first since a new constitution came into effect in July which transfers some of King Mohammed vi’s almost absolute power to parliament and to the prime minister. The king proposed these changes to the constitution in response to pro-democracy protests in Morocco and regime changes in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. The new constitution says the king, the latest ruler of a monarchy that has led Morocco for 350 years, must now select a prime minister from the winning party rather than naming whomever he pleases.
