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2nd LD: Islamist leader Abdelilah Benkirane re-appointed Morocco PM

Xinhua, October 11, 2016 Adjust font size:

The leader of Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD), Abdelilah Benkirane, has been appointed by King Mohammed VI as Morocco's new prime minister for a second term.

The king received Benkirane, who was elected head of the PJD in 2008, at the Royal Palace in Casablanca, Morocco's largest city, on Monday and named him prime minister with the task of forming a new government.

With the appointment, the ruling PJD has become the first party in the modern history of the north African kingdom to lead a coalition government for a second consecutive term.

According to Morocco's constitution, passed in 2011 after the so-called Arab Spring uprisings, the king will name a prime minister from the biggest party in parliament after the election results are announced.

The PJD led Friday's polls, securing 125 seats out of 395, up from 107 in 2011.

The PJD's main rival, the liberal opposition Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) won 102 seats, while the Istiqlal party, the oldest party in Morocco, took 46.

The PJD-led government enforced a number of unpopular policies in the last five years, particularly the pension reform and the decision to cut subsidies on several products. Endit