Morocco World News with Agencies
Morocco World News with Agencies
Fez, Morocco, November 25, 2011
Based on information available a few hours after the closing of polling stations in Morocco on Friday night, the PJD seems to be poised to emerge as the winner of today’s legislative elections.
Lahcen Daodi, the number two of the moderate Islamist party, the PJD, was quoted by Reuters as saying: “Based on reports filed by our representatives at polling stations throughout the country, we are the winners. We won Rabat, Casablanca, Tangier, Kenitra, Sale, Beni Mellal and Sidi Ifni to cite just a few.”
He went on to say that his party “won the highest number of seats.”
Mustapha El Khalfi, member of the executive bureau of the PJD, told the press that he believed his party had won the elections, expressing his hope that the final results would confirm its victory.
He was quoted by Reuters as saying: “We have to wait for the final results because there was a lot of fraud, so we hope that it will not cost us what should be a resounding victory for our party.”
In an earlier appearance on the Moroccan TV Channel 2M, Mustapha El Khalfi expressed his concern about violations committed by candidates of some parties in Beni Mellal, Meknes, Oujda and in the north of the country. He condemned vote-buying by these parties, which reportedly had engaged in attempts to bribe people into voting for their lists.
He also criticized the decision taken by local authorities across the country to use public transportation to take people to polling stations. “This is an indirect electoral campaign,” he said.
Mustapha El Khalfi went on to say that “available information points to a negative neutrality by the Ministry of Interior,” adding that he sent 20 complaints to the Ministry without receiving any answer.
Some leaders of the PJD expressed their concern that the elections could be rigged, but Italian observer Matteo Mecacci told journalists there was “no indication” of fraud.
The polls “took place under normal conditions and a under a climate of mobilization marked by fair competition and respect of electoral laws”, Cherkaoui said in a press briefing after the elections.
According to information available provided by our correspondents in Fez and Rabat, the PJD has finished first in Casablanca, Rabat, Sale, Fez, Tangier, Khouribga, Agadir, Sidi Ifni, Layoune, Beni Mellal, Kenitra, Temara and Tetouan.
The provisional results of the PJD are as follows:
Sidi ifni: 6674 votes (first)
Salé: 3600 votes (First)
Khouribga:8604 votes (first)
Casablanca Anfa 2000 votes (First) .
Fes-South: 3000 votes (first)
Ain chok-casablanca 6674 votes (first)
Moulay Rchid-Casablanca: 2321 votes (first).
In a declaration to the press later on Friday, Abdelilah Benkirane, Sccertary General of the PJD, said that, based on the information he received from polling stations, “the PJD is ahead of the other parties with a comfortable margin.”
The final results of the polls will be announced tomorrow at 5 pm local time, has announced the Ministry of Interior in a press briefing after the closing of polling stations.
Reporting by Bouchra Choukrani Bougrine from Fez and Zeineb Guessouss from Rabat.
