General features
Morocco has a multi-party system since its independence in 1956. Most of the political parties come from different divisions of the nationalistic movement. The two most important parties are Istqal Party (conservative) and USEFP (socialist). Appart from these two main parties there are many other formations close to the King and his circle, officialist parties which emerged in different moments. The emergence of the Islamist party PJD introduces a relative novelty in this multi-party system traditionally divided between opposition parties and officialist parties. At the same time, there have been some parties and political forces that remain outside the electoral game and parliamentary representation, wether they are left-wing parties, Islamist parties or Berber parties.
