In Egypt, it took a popular counterrevolution and the intervention of the army against the Islamist government to drive them out.
In Tunisia, the president had to intervene on July 25 to freeze the parliament, which the Ennahda Party controlled, and dissolve the government.
In Morocco, the task has been left to the democratic process. Islamists arrived at the polls and their right to run government is enshrined in the constitution. They had two legislatures, but, lacking an absolute majority, they had to rule in an alliance with other parties.
It is up to the citizens to decide whether they can continue or leave. They decided that the Islamists did not add value to the country and to the citizens. They are criticized for making unpopular decisions and being arrogant. This is, moreover, a common feature to all Islamists.
In the midst of a pandemic crisis, Morocco organized three elections at the same time, legislative, regional and municipal. The democratic process should not be changed, and this choice proved to be relevant. The participation rate reached 50.35% (42% in 2016), and was even higher in the southern provinces, where it was above 60%.
What was at stake in these elections was of the utmost importance. The government was led by a coalition led by Islamists from the Justice and Development Party, which had 125 seats in the first chamber of parliament. Its arrival in business dates back to 2011, at the height of the movement called the Arab Spring. Although having neither initiated nor participated in the preparation of this movement, the PJD has ridden this wave to propose itself as the “savior” of the country, the only possible alternative. This is an argument that will be repeated during the two terms of the party at the head of government.
However, judging by the results, voters did not use this criterion in the September 8 election. Hence the very severe sanction imposed on the party. It got only 12 MPs. Even the secretary-general, who is the head of government, could not save his seat. Neither did his ministers.
The party that emerged as the winner in these elections is the Rassemblement National des Indépendants (RNI, centrist) led by Aziz Akhannouch, minister of agriculture and rural development in the current government. His party won 97 seats. It is followed by the Authenticity and Modernity Party (82) and the Istiqlal Party (78). The Union Socialiste des Forces Populaires Socialist comes far behind with 35 seats. These are the most important parties; the other seats are distributed among several other formations.
The configuration of parliament is thus completely changed. PJD, the party that has dominated the House of Representatives since 2011, becomes the eighth party by size.
While the simple majority in the House of Representatives requires 198 deputies, a comfortable majority is nevertheless considered to be between 210 and 220 deputies. This leaves a great deal of leeway for the RNI, given that according to the constitution it is its responsibility to constitute the future government.
The results of these elections are due, among other things, to the mobilization of young people. Most of the electoral campaign took place on social media, which indicates a radical change in the way politics are done. Young people did not adhere to the discourse of the PJD, which focused on moral considerations, which these same Islamists did not respect. Several cases of immorality or embezzlement of public funds have discredited the party.
The concerns of the young people focused on jobs, health, public schooling and economic opportunities, and they had seen nothing coming for 10 years. On the other hand, they were able to observe the work carried out by the ministers of the RNI (trade, industry, new technologies and finance), who were the first at the front against the pandemic and its economic and social effects.
On the organizational side, Moroccan and foreign observers were unanimous in saying that the ballot took place under normal conditions.
In fact, shortly after the polling stations closed, the United States Embassy in Rabat expressed its congratulations on the success of the triple ballot.
“The United States Embassy congratulates the Kingdom of Morocco for successfully holding elections today. Our shared commitment to democratic processes strengthens our 200-year partnership,” wrote the representation on its Twitter account.