Islamist victory

The victory in Morocco's general elections of the Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) is a breath of fresh air for a stagnant political system, which underwent a few minor reforms in July following a referendum approving a new Constitution. Under the new Constitution, the king continues to play an important role in running the country, but, as in Tunisia last month, the elections have shown the real wishes of the electorate, despite the efforts of Morocco's ruling class and Europe's foreign ministries to ensure they remain unfulfilled. Tired of the corruption, inequality and authoritarianism that characterize their country, a significant number of Moroccans are supporting parties that promise honesty and justice, and that would like to see the country take a turn toward religion.

Despite an electoral system weighed against it, along with the presence of parties created by the government as a distraction, the PJD showed in Friday's polls that this election has probably been the freest in Morocco's 55 years of independence. This unprecedented transparency is in part a result of the Arab Spring, along with pressure from the streets.

Looking at the participation figures, it is clear that those in Morocco's cities, where the population is better educated and wealthier, have played the largest role in a protest vote, either abstaining or supporting the main opposition party.

Contrary to what the government says, participation was not 45 percent, but 25 percent. Some eight million Moroccans are not registered to vote, either because they prefer not to, or because the system has failed to enable the process. To that figure should be added the three million emigrant Moroccans, who are only able to exercise suffrage through a complicated system that few have bothered to use. Among those abstaining, a good number did so on the basis of their support for the February 20 democracy movement, which rejects the current electoral arrangements in Morocco and has been organizing peaceful street protests, while also calling for mass abstention.

The likely formation of a government headed by an Islamist prime minister shows that Morocco can alternate between parties, but it doesn't represent a major change in the way that the country will be run. King Mohammed VI may have handed over part of his responsibilities, but he remains the central figure in political life. Furthermore, the PJD will have to govern in coalition with other political parties, which will reduce its room for maneuver. But despite the limitations, the exercise is worth carrying out. It is a small, but significant, step toward a parliamentary monarchy, which should be welcomed and encouraged.