2002: the first election under Mohammed VI
Seen as cleaner than previous votes, it introduced a 30-seat national list for women; the USFP came first but the King appointed technocrat Driss Jettou.
Seen as cleaner than previous votes, it introduced a 30-seat national list for women; the USFP came first but the King appointed technocrat Driss Jettou.
The 27 September 2002 election was the first under King Mohammed VI. It introduced proportional list voting and a 30-seat national list reserved for women, raising the number of women MPs to 35 from just two in 1997. Turnout fell to 51.61% .
The USFP stayed first with 50 seats, followed by Istiqlal (48), while the PJD made a striking leap to 42 seats despite running in only part of the districts .
"A departure from democratic methodology" Although the USFP came first, the King appointed Interior Minister Driss Jettou as Prime Minister, which the USFP called a "departure from democratic methodology". That debate is one of the reasons the 2011 Constitution requires the Head of Government to come from the winning party .
Sources
- Morocco's Constitution of 2011 · Constitute Project · 2026-09-28
- 2002 Moroccan general election · Wikipedia · 2026-09-28