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| Moroccans vote for new parliament | |
| (about 8 hours later) | |
| Voters in Morocco are going to the polls to elect a new parliament, with 33 parties competing for seats. | Voters in Morocco are going to the polls to elect a new parliament, with 33 parties competing for seats. |
| The main opposition, the Islamist Party of Justice and Development (PJD), is expected to do well in the polls. | The main opposition, the Islamist Party of Justice and Development (PJD), is expected to do well in the polls. |
| While many parties have struggled to mobilise support, the PJD seems to have had an impact in local constituencies. | While many parties have struggled to mobilise support, the PJD seems to have had an impact in local constituencies. |
| PJD leaders have sought to reassure outsiders that they are not extremists and would not turn Morocco into an Islamic state if they came to power. | PJD leaders have sought to reassure outsiders that they are not extremists and would not turn Morocco into an Islamic state if they came to power. |
| We must vote for a party that is not afraid to show that Islam and politics are friends Abdelkrim Hezraf Those leaders have also visited Washington and it is thought the US is keen to encourage moderate parties like the PJD to counter the threat posed by more radical movements. | |
| But analysts say since most power is still held by the monarchy in Morocco, it is not the elections that need attention but constitutional reform. | |
| Dissatisfaction | |
| Although there are 33 political parties competing for the 325 seats in parliament, the BBC's Richard Hamilton in Rabat says the real battle lies between the mainstream parties of the governing coalition and the Islamists. | |
| The coalition is dominated by secular nationalists from the original party of independence and two socialist parties. | |
| They are trying to fend off a major challenge from the opposition PJD, which is riding on a wave of dissatisfaction with the administration. | |
| "We must vote for a party that is not afraid to show that Islam and politics are friends," Abdelkrim Hezraf, a 40-year-old worker for a pharmaceutical company waiting to vote at a polling station in a school in a middle-class district of Rabat, told the AP news agency. | |
| Many people feel the government has not done enough to eradicate widespread poverty, unemployment and corruption, our correspondent says. | |
| American interest | American interest |
| The PJD is promising to tackle these issues, as are most of the other parties. | |
| The problem is a large proportion of the population does not believe them, our correspondent says. | |
| They say they no longer trust politicians and are likely to stay away from the polls. | |
| Just days ago, the US granted nearly $700m (£350m) in economic aid to Morocco, the largest amount ever granted to a single country under the Millennium Challenge Corporation. | Just days ago, the US granted nearly $700m (£350m) in economic aid to Morocco, the largest amount ever granted to a single country under the Millennium Challenge Corporation. |
| Keeping an eye on the electoral process are international observers from the US organisation the National Democratic Institute. | Keeping an eye on the electoral process are international observers from the US organisation the National Democratic Institute. |
| It is another example of American interest. | It is another example of American interest. |