Justice and Development Party (Morocco)

The Justice and Development Party () (, abbreviated to PJD) is the largest opposition political party in Morocco. The PJD promotes Islamism and Islamic democracy.

History

The party was founded by Dr. Abdelkrim Al Khatib an old politician known for his close ties with the Monarchy, under the name of MPDC (). The party was an empty shell for many years, until various members of a clandestine association Chabiba islamia, who later formed the MUR () joined the party, with the authorisation and encouragement of former interior minister Driss Basri. It later changed its name to current PJD in 1998, reminiscent of the better known Turkish Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi, AKP) which was founded three years later in 2001, however. It should be noted that the Moroccan PJD is less liberal and modern than the Turkish AKP, although a very slow modernisation process is going on.

Parliamentary representation

In the parliamentary election, held on 27 September 2002, the party won 42 out of 325 seats, winning most of the districts where it was allowed to compete. Its secretary-general since 2004 is Saadeddine Othmani, deputy of Inezgane, an outer suburb of Agadir. In the parliamentary election held on 7 September 2007, the PJD won 46 out of 325 seats, behind the Istiqlal Party, which won 52. This was contrary to expectations that the PJD would win the most seats., Associated Press (International Herald Tribune), 9 September......
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