The Socialist Union of Popular Forces ( ar, الاتحاد الاشتراكي للقوات الشعبية, translit=Al-Ittihad Al-Ishtirakiy Lilqawat Al-Sha'abiyah; zgh, ⵜⴰⵎⵓⵏⵜ ⵜⴰⵏⵎⵍⴰⵢⵜ ⵏⵉⵖⴰⵍⵍⵏ ⵉⴳⴷⵓⴷⴰⵏⵏ; french: Union Socialiste des Forces Populaires, USFP) is a
social-democratic
Social democracy is a Political philosophy, political, Social philosophy, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocati ...
political party in Morocco.
History and profile
The USFP was formed as a breakaway from the
National Union of Popular Forces (UNFP), a
socialist
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...
opposition party which had itself split from the
Istiqlal Party
The Istiqlal Party ( ar, حزب الإستقلال, translit=Ḥizb Al-Istiqlāl, lit=Independence Party; french: Parti Istiqlal; zgh, ⴰⴽⴰⴱⴰⵔ ⵏ ⵍⵉⵙⵜⵉⵇⵍⴰⵍ) is a political party in Morocco. It is a conservative and ...
in 1959. The USFP was established in 1975.
The party won the
1997 parliamentary election,
then led the
government of Morocco
The Cabinet of Morocco is the chief executive body of the Kingdom of Morocco.
The Cabinet is usually composed of some 25 ministers and 5 to 10 "Secretaries of State" and "Minister Delegates". It is headed by the Prime Minister (officially ''Head o ...
with a
centre-left
Centre-left politics lean to the left on the left–right political spectrum but are closer to the centre than other left-wing politics. Those on the centre-left believe in working within the established systems to improve social justice. The c ...
coalition
A coalition is a group formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political or economical spaces.
Formation
According to ''A Gui ...
.
During this period
Abderrahmane Youssoufi, the leader of the party, was the
Prime Minister of Morocco
The prime minister of Morocco (officially Head of Government, ar, رئيس حكومة المملكة المغربية, rayiys hukumat almamlakat almaghribia) is the head of government of the Kingdom of Morocco. The prime minister is chosen by t ...
.
[
In the parliamentary election held on 27 September 2002, the party won 50 out of 325 seats, making it the largest party in the ]Moroccan parliament
The Parliament of Morocco (; ; ) is the bicameral legislature located in Rabat, the capital of Morocco.
History
The traditional representative system in Morocco was organized through traditional structures such as the ulema assembly by cities ...
. Following those elections it formed a government with the Istiqlal Party in a three-party coalition known as the " Koutla".
In the next parliamentary election, held on 7 September 2007, the USFP won 38 out of 325 seats, losing 12 seats and becoming only the fifth largest party in parliament. The USFP was included in the government of Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi, formed on 15 October 2007.
The USFP is a full member of the Socialist International
The Socialist International (SI) is a political international or worldwide organisation of political parties which seek to establish democratic socialism. It consists mostly of socialist and labour-oriented political parties and organisations. ...
and an observer of the Party of European Socialists.
In the run-up to the November 2011 parliamentary elections, the USFP sought to present a united front with the Party of Progress and Socialism
The Party of Progress and Socialism ( ar, حزب التقدم والاشتراكية, translit=Hizb Al-Taqadoum Wal-Ishtirakiyeh; zgh, ⴰⴽⴰⴱⴰⵔ ⵏ ⵓⴼⴰⵔⴰ ⴷ ⵜⵏⵎⵍⴰ; french: Parti du Progrès et du Socialisme, PPS) ...
(PPS) and Democratic Forces Front (FFD) to reverse the loss of support for the Moroccan left in the preceding years. The party placed fifth, with 39 seats, in the 2011 elections.
Electoral performance
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Socialist Union of Popular Forces
1975 establishments in Morocco
Full member parties of the Socialist International
Parties related to the Party of European Socialists
Political parties established in 1975
Political parties in Morocco
Progressive Alliance
Social democratic parties in Africa
Socialist parties in Morocco