PREVIEW: Moroccan government faces challenge from 'king's party'

Rabat, Morocco - Moroccans will vote Friday in local elections seen partly as a prelude to the 2012 legislative elections, with a new 'party of the king' arousing controversy. About 14 million of the north African kingdom's more than 30 million residents are eligible to elect 24,000 members to 1,500 communal councils. Centre-right Prime Minister Abbas el-Fassi warned against a legislative reading of the local elections. They were nevertheless seen as a test for el-Fassi's coalition government, which is being accused of lacking a solid programme despite the Moroccan economy weathering the global crisis fairly well. King Mohammed VI wields vast powers, but Moroccan analysts usually blame the government or royal advisors for youth unemployment, the poverty in rural areas and urban slums, among other problems. El-Fassi's nationalist Istiqlal party and its coalition partners face a new electoral challenge from the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM). The party with 46 MPs in the 325-member parliament was founded in 2008 by former interior minister Fouad Ali el-Himma, whom critics accuse of taking advantage of his reputation as a close friend of King Mohammed in his quest for power. PAM has surpassed the Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) as the biggest opposition party, and withdrew its support from the government, making it lose its majority in May. 'PAM is just a group of wealthy and powerful people, with no ideology to unite them, and leaning only on el-Himma,' a critical observer says. PAM, however, presents itself as a fresh alternative to Moroccans tired of the old parties. King Mohammed recently announced that he continues to confide in el-Fassi, but rumours nevertheless persist that PAM could try to topple the government if it does well in the local elections. Istiqlal and the socialist USFP, both of which are in the el-Fassi government, are currently the strongest parties on local level. PAM, which is promising development programmes, is trying to garner votes from those disillusioned with local politicians, who are often accused of self-interest and incompetence. The government was taking measures to prevent electoral fraud, including tapping telephones and looking into candidates' finances, the magazine Jeune Afrique reported. King Mohammed is also hoping that women will improve Morocco's political life with their 'integrity, realism and social fibre,' in his words. A quota reserves at least 12 per cent of the communal council seats for women, who only made up 137 of the 24,000 outgoing councillors. The Moroccan parliament now has about 40 female legislators. The local elections coincide with a decentralization process increasing the importance of the local authorities, which are being given greater powers in areas ranging from infrastructure to tourism.