Moroccans vote in modest numbers for elections

Moroccos Arab Spring-inspired parliamentary elections saw a 45 percent turnout rate on Friday in the face of a boycott called by democracy activists who say the ruling monarchy isnt committed to real change.A moderate Islamist party and a pro-palace coalition led by the finance minister are competing for the top spot, but the key test for authorities legitimacy was how many voters cast ballots.While the turnout, announced by the Interior Ministry is an improvement over 2007s 37 percent, it is still less than the rates predicted by officials who maintained the population has been galvanized by the kings reform efforts.Since the last election, however, the number of registered voters has shrunk from 15 million to 13.5 million despite the increase in population which may also have brought up the participation rate.Interior Minister Taieb Cherqaoui said the vote took place in an atmosphere of calm and a spirit of responsibility, though opposition members alleged there were irregularities. We have spoken with our offices in every region and there was a lot of vote buying and the Interior Ministry mobilized transportation to bring voters to polling stations like animals, Lahcen Daoudi, a top official with the Islamist Justice and Development Party, told The Associated Press.In response to pro-democracy protests, the king amended the constitution over the summer giving the prime minister new powers, including the ability to dissolve parliament and make certain appointments. But the ultimate authority remains with the monarch.As the polls closed Friday night and the counting of ballots began, Moroccos U.S. and other Western allies were closely watching for the results to see how the North African kingdom is navigating its own Arab Spring.Ive always voted, but this time it is more important, said Dr. Mohammed Ennabli, as he cast his ballot early in the morning in the affluent Agdal neighborhood. Before it was the king who chose, now it is the people who choose.Results in one voting booth in the area after polls closed had the Islamist Party, known by its French initials PJD, taking nearly 40 percent of the votes. Many people, however, scorned a process they say has been going on for decades without any tangible effect on their lives.I wont vote, the promises are never kept with or without the new constitution, it is the same, said Abdallah Cherachaoui, an unemployed 45 year old in the lower income district of Akkari. They are laughing at us.In the working class city of Sale, across the river from the capital Rabat, there was a steady trickle of voters to the school acting as a polling station, but some stayed outside.I voted in 2007 because the candidate was a member of my family, but he also disappointed me and as soon as the elections were over, I never saw him again, so Im not making that mistake again, said Brahim Errami, 25, from his seat in a nearby cafe. I pity the people going in and out of that school.Moroccos reputation as a stable kingdom in North Africa has taken a hit with this years protests over government corruption and heavy handed security forces. And its once-steady economy is creaking from the amount of money the government has pumped into raising salaries and subsidies to keep people calm amid the Arab world turmoil.