After a prolonged wait, the parties received the results for Al-Quds school in Tangier's Al-Sawani district on Thursday, September 24. The school, a focal point of electoral controversy, had 6,732 registered voters, with 2,187 casting ballots. However, 375 votes were invalidated, leaving 1,812 valid votes. The Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) emerged with a substantial lead, securing 804 votes.
The distribution of valid votes revealed a significant gap between PAM and the next parties. The Justice and Development Party (PJD) garnered 287 votes, followed by the Independence Party with 265 votes, and the New Democrats with 224 votes. Other parties received considerably fewer votes: the Left Coalition secured 56 votes, the Free Party 41, the Popular Movement 40, and the Constitutional Union 33.
The results indicate that PAM obtained approximately 44% of the valid votes in this polling station, a remarkably high percentage compared to its provisional results in the entire Tangier-Asilah constituency, where it secured around 16.65% of the votes after counting 90% of the polling stations. The invalidation rate of around 17% of total votes cast is also noteworthy.
The turnout in Al-Quds school was approximately 32.5%, surpassing the later-announced rate of 25.51% for the entire constituency. Prior to the announcement, tensions arose within the polling station due to allegations of irregularities. Observers from various parties reported finding a stack of papers in a glass box and a suspect carrying a bag suspected to contain pre-marked ballots.
The situation escalated, with representatives from several parties, including PJD, New Democrats, and the Progress and Socialism Party, protesting and requesting documentation of the incident. The polling station was temporarily closed, and security intervened, leading to the arrest of a person who was handed over to the police.
The incident sparked widespread attention, with videos of the glass box and the bag being shared. The Tangier Court of Appeals launched a judicial investigation into the matter. PAM responded with a statement characterizing the events as a "premeditated scenario" and a "political conspiracy" targeting the party.
In the broader context of the Tangier-Asilah constituency, the provisional results after counting most polling stations show the PJD leading with 31.49%, followed by PAM with 16.65%, the Popular Movement with 14.61%, the Independence Party with 9.42%, and the National Rally of Independents with 8.76%.
Key points
- The Authenticity and Modernity Party secured a significant lead in Al-Quds school polling station.
- The polling station experienced irregularities and tensions, prompting a judicial investigation.
- The results in Al-Quds school differ substantially from the overall trend in the Tangier-Asilah constituency.
