Spanish Government said that Morocco’s Parliamentary Elections Held in an ‘Exemplary’ Manner. These elections show the “clear commitment” of voters, political parties and institutions to democratic governance within the framework of the reform process undertaken by HM King Mohammed VI, Spain’s government said in a statement published by the ministry of foreign affairs.

According to the French Foreign Ministry Parliamentary elections held in Morocco reflect the vitality of democracy in the Kingdom. "France welcomes the successful conduct of the second parliamentary elections in Morocco since the adoption of the Constitution of 2011," French Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Romain Nadal, said on Monday in a press briefing.

The head of Gender Election Observation Mission (GEOM), Sabra Ban, said that 2016 Parliamentary Elections Mark ‘Consistency and Advancement on Morocco’s Democratic Transformation’. “The women and men that participated alongside each, as voters, candidates and administrators, demonstrate that there is a will for democratic participation and advancement in Morocco,” she told the press, adding that “good practices of political parties nominating young female members candidates are encouraging.”

The election administration which succeeded in organizing Friday’s parliamentary elections in terms of logistics helped ensure the credibility and transparency of the voting process, the president of Morocco's national human rights council (CNDH) Driss El Yazami said in Rabat. In terms of management, the electoral process was beyond reproach, he added during the presentation of the CNDH preliminary conclusions on the 2016 parliamentary elections, noting that these elections mark a new regular election cycle and consecrate the standardization of the voting practices in Morocco.

PJD Heads Next Government After King Received Benkirane

Morocco King Mohammed VI received, on Monday following the Friday Election at the Royal Palace in Casablanca, Secretary General of the Justice and Development Party (PJD) Abdelilah Benkirane, whom the sovereign appointed head of government, pursuant to constitutional provisions, and tasked with forming a new government. Benkirane held Consultations with all Political Parties to Form New Government 'Without Delay', except with Left Federation, who refuse to do that. Abdelilah Benkirane "We hope to succeed these consultations together", Benkirane added "HM the King has once again appointed me to head the government and I hope that I will succeed in this mission".

PJD Wins Morocco Parliamentary Elections 2016 with 125 seats

The Justice and Development Party (PJD) won 125 seats at the national constituency level, followed by the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) with 102 seats in Friday’s parliamentary elections, according to the results announced by the National Statistics Committee.

The Istiqlal Party won 46 seats, while the National Rally of Independents (RNI) and the Popular Movement won 37 and 27 seats respectively, the Interior ministry said in a statement. The Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP) won 20 seats, followed by the Constitutional Union (UC) with 19 seats and the Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS) with 12 seats. Democratic and Social Movement 3 Followed with Federation of the Democratic Left 2 and 1 for New Green Left Party and Union and Democracy Party.

Morocco’s House of Representatives (lower house) has 395-members who are elected by direct universal suffrage through a list vote for a term of five years. They are distributed as follows: 305 seats filled by members elected from local constituencies, and 90 seats filled by members elected at the national constituency level.

81 women elected to the house of representatives, 64% of Composition of Lower House Renewed

The number of women elected to the house of representatives during the Oct. 7 legislative elections is 81 deputies, including ten candidates elected in local electoral districts, according to sources from the interior ministry. 60 deputies were elected during the first phase of women's national list, 11 young women in the second phase of youth's national list, against 67 deputies in 2011, including 60 in the national electoral district and 7 in local electoral districts.

Women's representation at the house of representatives stood nearly at 21% of the body's members, against 17% in 2011, which means an improvement of representation by 4 points. Legislative elections of Oct. 7, 2016, led to the renewal of about 64% of seats making the totality of the members of the house of representatives (lower house), while 36% of deputies whose mandate ended were re-elected. According to sources of the interior ministry, the renewal rate by the different political parties represented within the house of representatives differs depending on the number of seats won by the said bodies.

High Turnout in Southern Provinces in Parliamentary Elections

A high turnout was recorded in Morocco’s southern provinces in Friday’s parliamentary elections as in the previous elections, local authorities said. In some of the districts of Morocco’s southern provinces, voter turnout exceeded 76%, which shows the determination of the population of these regions to contribute to the democratic process in the Kingdom.

The turnout stood at 76.71% in Aousserd, 75.94% in Tarfaya, 64.30% in Boujdour, 62% in Smara, 57.21% in Laayoune, 49% in Tan Tan and 43.57% in Guelmim. In Laayoune, massive influx of voters was confirmed by national and international observers. One of the observers, Belgian Karongozi Andre Martin described as “very good” the atmosphere in Laayoune's polling stations. “The voting process took place in good conditions without any incidents,” he said. Adding that "We realized that everyone was pleased to vote," he added.