The Islamist party PJD denounced "the violations and irregularities" which punctuated the last general elections in Morocco, where it suffered a historic rout, according to a statement released on Sunday (September 19th).

The Justice and Development Party (PJD) "denounces the violations and irregularities experienced by the elections", including "the massive use of money", "the manipulation of the minutes" or "the names crossed out" electoral lists or those appearing doubly ", accuses the statement closing an extraordinary session of the PJD national council held Saturday behind closed doors.

These "forms of electoral corruption" have "led to the announcement of results which do not reflect the content of the political mapping and the free will of the voters", believes the moderate Islamist party, which deplored "a regression of our democratic experience ".

According to the Minister of the Interior, Abdelouafi Laftit, the voting operations took place "under normal circumstances", apart from "isolated cases".

In power for ten years, without ever really governing, the PJD collapsed in the legislative elections, dropping from 125 seats to 13 out of a total of 395.

"We are still in shock"

The unexpected magnitude of the defeat was confirmed with the local elections, held on the same day: the party tumbled from 5,021 elected to 777 in the communal and from 174 seats to 18 in the regional against 174.

At the end of the campaign and on the day of the vote, the Islamists had already reported "serious irregularities", citing the buying of votes and candidates, as well as "the obscene distribution of money" near polling stations.

The PJD "is at an important turning point where we can question our choices (...) without succumbing to the psychology of defeat," said its resigning secretary general, Saad Eddine El Othmani, on Saturday in the closed meeting.

The party called an extraordinary congress "at the end of October" which will choose a new leadership after the collective resignation of the general secretariat in the aftermath of the electoral debacle.

"We are still in shock. It is as if the party was in resuscitation, but we aim to resuscitate it", promised an official of the PJD, Amina Maelainine. 

It was the liberal party of the National Rally of Independents (RNI), considered close to the royal palace, which triumphed on September 8, winning 102 seats in the House of Representatives.

His boss, billionaire Aziz Akhannouch - since appointed head of government by King Mohammed VI - has launched negotiations with the parties represented in Parliament to form a government coalition, apart from the PJD, which has returned to the opposition.

With AFP

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