Morocco Elections

Opposition Socialist candidates appeared today to be heading for an early lead in preliminary results of voting for Morocco's new parliament, where for the first time Islamists will also have a voice. Interior Minister Driss Basri told reporters that of the first 125 results known for the 325-member assembly, the Socialist Union of Popular Forces from the Koutla opposition bloc had taken 32 seats, the highest figure.

Morocco's new legislature is split into three nearly identical blocs, election results showed Saturday, presaging months of protracted negotiations among opposition, pro-government and centrist parties. King Hassan II had billed Friday's vote as the culmination of a crucial set of political reforms, and his powerful interior minister, Driss Basri, hailed the results as "a victory for democracy."