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 ...

History and profile

The USFP was formed as a breakaway from the National Union of Popular Forces (UNFP), a socialist opposition party which had itself split from the Istiqlal Party 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

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 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