46 arrests over irregularities during Morocco's elections

A total of 46 people were arrested following convictions of irregularities during municipal and regional elections held last Friday in Morocco, the government commission on election monitoring said Tuesday.

The commission pointed out in a statement that Moroccan authorities examined 1,240 complaints registered during the electoral process, including 831 during election campaigns and 339 on voting day or during vote counting.

Despite the irregularities, the commission insisted elections were held "under normal conditions," and "respected legal provisions guaranteeing transparency and credibility, bar a few cases."

On Friday's double polls, ruling Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) took the lead in regional elections and made significant advances in municipal elections.

The PJD won over 25 percent regional council seats, followed by opposing Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) at 19.47 percent, and the Istiqlal party (PI) at 17.55 percent.

As for local councils, the PJD advanced by three positions compared to previous 2009 local elections, coming in third following PAM and PI respectively.

The PJD received the votes of the country's major cities, while its competitors, particularly PAM and PI, dominated rural areas.

Election participation levels reached 53.67 percent voting to choose local representatives and, for the first time, regional councilors at universal consensus.

Approximately 30 parties competed for 31,503 local council seats and 678 regional council posts.

A total of 4,000 observers, including 76 from international organizations, were accredited to oversee the election process. Endit