Istiqlal Party

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Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". The Istiqlal Party (Template:Langx; Template:Langx; Template:Langx) is a political party in Morocco. It is a conservative and monarchist party and a member of the Centrist Democrat International and International Democracy Union. Istiqlal headed a coalition government under Abbas El Fassi from 19 September 2007 to 29 November 2011. From 2013 to 2021, it was part of the opposition. Since 2021 it is part of a coalition government led by Aziz Akhannouch.

The party emerged in the year 1937 during the anti-colonial struggle against French and Spanish imperial rule,[1][2][3] making it the oldest active political party in Morocco.[4]

History and profile

File:Balafrej2wiki.png
Ahmed Balafrej, founder of the Istiqlal Party, in 1950

The party was founded in April 1937[5] as the National Party for Istiqlal, and became the Istiqlal Party 10 December 1943.[6][7] Istiqlal held strongly Arab nationalist views[8] and was the main political force struggling for the independence of Morocco. The initial goal stated in their manifesto was the independence from France “within the framework of a constitutional-democratic monarchy”.[9] The leadership of Istiqlal was successful in overcoming “petty rivalries”[10] between the different parties and anticolonial organizations and unifying the nationalist movement. This factor added to the campaign of Moroccan activists spread across the world and contributed to achieving international visibility and support for their cause.

Transnational advocacy for independence

Establishing crucial contacts for advocating the Moroccan independence abroad happened in Tangier, since it was assigned as an international zone and thus under less influence of the French or Spanish. In Tangier Moroccan Nationalists established contact with Americans residing in Morocco, which among others provided US intelligence contacts. Outside of Morocco, important developments in advocating for Moroccan independence happened in Cairo (Egypt), within the United Nations, and in Paris (France). Advocating in France was primarily focussed on communicating with French society, disseminating and exchanging information, and mobilizing students.[11]

After independence

However, once the country achieved independence in 1956, the party moved into opposition against the monarchy, which had asserted itself as the country's main political actor. It had to overcome some obstacles since the party, which had just achieved their common goal, was prone to fragmentation.[12]Script error: No such module "Unsubst". There was a movement within the Istiqlal Party to unite Muslims and Jews called al-Wifaq (Script error: No such module "Lang".), with prominent Jewish figures such as Armand Asoulin, David Azoulay, Marc Sabbagh, Joe O’Hana, and Albert Aflalo.[13][14]

File:Retour exil1955.png
Leaders of the Istiqlal on 22 November 1955 in Tangier. From left to right: Abderrahim Bouabid, Ahmed Balafrej, Template:Ill, Template:Ill

By the time the Istiqlal became the majority and after the 1958 Rif Revolt, divisions emerged within it into two major fractions: the older right wing majority led by Allal al-Fassi and Ahmed Balafrej who controlled the executive committee of the party and the newer left wing led by Mehdi Ben Barka and Abderrahim Bouabid made up of some of the former leaders of the Moroccan Liberation Army. The left wing advocated for the holding of popular elections, introducing limits on the powers of the monarchy and ended the presence of American bases. They advocated for democratic socialism and state control of important sectors of the monarchy. The right wing, on the other hand, supported the continued presence of American bases to ensure economic assistance from the USA. They were economically liberal and politically conservative.[15][16][17]

The monarchy capitalised on the divisions within the party by encouraging the split of the Democratic Independence Party from the Istiqlal and the split of the National Union of Popular Forces (UNFP) from the Istiqlal in 1959.[18] Mohammed V appointed the left-wing leader of the Moroccan Workers' Union (UMT) Abdallah Ibrahim as prime minister which caused Allal al-Fassi to resign as party leader in anger and also prevented the more radical Ben Barka's inclusion in government.[15][19]

Together with the leftist UNFP and later the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP), the Istiqlal would form the backbone of the opposition to King Hassan II in the years to come. The Istiqlal party has taken part in many coalition governments from the late 1970s until the mid-1980s. In 1998, together with the USFP inside the Koutla and other smaller parties, the Istiqlal formed the Alternance, the first political experience in the Arab World where the opposition assumed power through the ballots.

For the party's leader Allal El Fassi, a proponent of "Greater Morocco", Morocco's independence would not be complete without the liberation of all the territories that once were part of Morocco.

In January 2006, Istiqlal criticized Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero's visit to the Spanish cities of Ceuta and Melilla on the north African coast, reflecting its nationalist heritage.

Istiqlal won 52 out of 325 seats in the parliamentary election held on 7 September 2007, more than any other party,[20] and subsequently the party's leader, Abbas El Fassi, was named Prime Minister by King Mohammed VI on 19 September 2007.[20][21]

The party won 60 out of 325 seats in the parliamentary election held in November 2011, being the second party in the parliament.[22]

File:Istiqlal (111).JPG
Istiqlal office of the Al-Fida Derb-Soltane district, Casablanca

Abbas El Fassi resigned as Prime Minister 29 November 2011, and resigned as Secretary-General of Istiqlal on 23 September 2012, following Justice and Development Party victory in 2011 elections.

In September 2012, Hamid Chabat was elected secretary-general of the party succeeding Abbas El Fassi.[23][24]

Development since 2016

In 2016, Istiqlal won 46 seats in parliamentary elections, a loss of 14 seats. The party joined the opposition.[25][26]

Istiqlal is a member of the Centrist Democrat International and International Democracy Union, and an associate member of the Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists.

On October 7, 2017, Nizar Baraka was elected Secretary-General of the Istiqlal party, by 924 votes against 230 votes for his rival and outgoing secretary-general Hamid Chabat.[27][28] King Mohammed VI expressed his congratulations to the new Istiqlal Party leader for the confidence placed in him by the members of the party’s national council.[29]

The Istiqlal party won 81 seats in the 2021 parliamentary election, an increase of 35 seats since the last election, thus remaining the third largest party in the kingdom.[30][31]

Electoral performance

House of Representatives

Election Votes % Seats Status
1963 1,000,506 30.0 Template:Composition bar Opposition
1970 BoycottedScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Template:Composition bar Opposition
1977 1,090,960 21.62 Template:Composition bar Opposition
1984 681,083 15.33 Template:Composition bar Opposition
1993 760,082 12.2 Template:Composition bar Opposition
1997 840,315 13.8 Template:Composition bar Part of the government
2002 14.77 Template:Composition bar Part of the government
2007 494,256 10.7 Template:Composition bar Leading the government under Abbas El Fassi
2011 562,720 11.9 Template:Composition bar Part of the government until October 2013
2016 620,041 10.68 Template:Composition bar Opposition
2021 Template:Composition bar Part of the government

References

Template:Reflist

External links

Template:Sister project Template:Moroccan political parties Template:Authority control

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  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  20. ↑ a b "Morocco's king names new PM", Xinhua, 20 September 2007.
  21. ↑ "El Fassi named Moroccan prime minister"Template:Dead link, Associated Press (Jerusalem Post), 20 September 2007.
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  27. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  28. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  29. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  30. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  31. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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