Opposition parties boycott meeting over elections

Moroccan opposition parties have boycotted a meeting the Prime Minister, Abderrahmane Youssoufi, had planned to hold with them on Wednesday to examine proposals on the polling system for next September's legislative elections.

"Rissalat Al Oumma" daily of the opposition Constitutional Union explains that the opposition parties decided to boycott the meeting because of the prime minister's failure to positively answer their repeated calls to explain before the parliament the situation in the country.

In a statement sent to MAP, the opposition parties--namely the Constitutional Union (UC), the Popular Movement (MP), the National Democrat Party (PND), the Party of Justice and Development (PJD), the Social Democratic Movement (MDS)-- said the prime minister sent them on Tuesday an invitation to attend a meeting on Wednesday. They also explain that they met to probe the invitation, in its form and content, and concluded that they were not treated on equal footing as the majority parties on this crucial issue for the country.

On Monday, majority parties said they have agreed to adopt the list polling system in lieu of the one-round uninominal polling system for the coming elections of the members of the House of Representatives (lower house of the parliament). The meeting brought together leaders of the parties participating in the coalition government, led by first secretary of the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP) Abderrahmane Youssoufi, since March 1998.

The majority parties are the USFP (10 portfolios), the Istiqlal Party (PI/4 portfolios), the National rally of Independents (RNI/4 portfolios), the National Popular Movement (MNP/3 portfolios), the Party for Progress and Socialism (PPS/2 portfolios), the Social Democratic Party (PSD/1 portfolio) and the Democratic Forces Front (FFD/1 portfolio).

Eight of the cabinet members have no political obedience.