Tangier election dispute widens as USFP challenges results

The Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP) has joined a growing list of political parties challenging the results of Morocco’s Sept. 23 legislative elections in the Tangier-Assilah constituency, further widening a dispute that could put several parliamentary seats at risk.

The party formally filed its appeal Friday, seeking to strip the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), its coalition partner in government, of a seat won by candidate Abdelatif El Ghalbzouri. The challenge is linked to the so-called “bag incident,” a case involving Tangier Mayor and PAM provincial official Mounir Lymouri, who is facing prosecution alongside seven other people.

The USFP, whose list was headed by former parliamentarian Abdelkader Taher, also challenged the election of Mohammed Zemmouri of the Popular Movement as a member of parliament for the constituency.

The party cited a video it said documented an attempt to buy votes in favor of the Popular Movement, arguing that the footage provided sufficient grounds to question the validity of Zemmouri’s election.

The Constitutional Court is expected to rule on the various appeals, as the controversy surrounding the Tangier-Assilah vote continues to draw public attention.

The constituency became a focal point of the Sept. 23 elections after reports of a bag containing ballot papers emerged from a polling station. Opposition parties have used the incident to challenge PAM, which won the elections and leads the government under Fatima Zahra Mansouri, Morocco’s first woman to head the government.

The left-wing alliance had previously challenged the results in the same constituency, calling for a repeat election over alleged irregularities. It also contested the election of four lawmakers representing PAM, the Popular Movement, the Istiqlal Party and the National Rally of Independents.

The Justice and Development Party (PJD), which topped the results in the Tangier constituency, also challenged the parliamentary seat won by PAM’s candidate. One of its members was involved in bringing the bag incident to light at a polling station in Al-Quds School in the working-class Casablanca neighborhood of Tangier, known as Casabarata.

The Constitutional Union has also filed an appeal against the election results in the constituency.

The outcome of the legal challenges could determine whether any of the disputed seats are invalidated and whether a new vote is required in the constituency.