Moroccans voted Friday in local polls seen as a test for the ruling Islamists, who swept to power nearly four years ago after Arab Spring protests prompted reforms by the monarchy. About 15 million Moroccans were eligible to vote in the municipal and regional polls, considered a gauge of the popularity of Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane and his government, a year ahead of a general election.
In 2011, Benkirane's Justice and Development Party (PJD) became the North African country's first Islamist party to win a national election, and the first to lead a government. That vote followed concessions from King Mohammed VI, the scion of a monarchy that has ruled the country for 350 years. A new constitution curbed some, but not all, of his near-absolute powers as autocratic regimes toppled in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.
Previously the monarch could choose his prime minister. Now he must appoint a candidate from the party that wins the most seats in parliament. Around 32,000 seats on local and regional councils were at stake in Friday's vote, which will offer a snapshot of the political climate. Polling stations which opened at 8:00 am (0700 GMT) were due to close at 7:00 pm.
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