The Socialist Union of Popular Forces (Arabic: الاتحاد الاشتراكي للقوات الشعبية, romanized: al-ittiḥād al-ištirāki lil quwāt aš-šaʿbīya; Standard Moroccan Tamazight: ⵜⴰⵎⵓⵏⵜ ⵜⴰⵏⵎⵍⴰⵢⵜ ⵏⵉⵖⴰⵍⵍⵏ ⵉⴳⴷⵓⴷⴰⵏⵏ, romanized: tamunt tanmlayt niɣalln igdudann; French: Union Socialiste des Forces Populaires, USFP) is a social democratic political party in Morocco. It claims ideas of social justice, modernity and the fight against inequalities.
Socialist Union of Popular Forces الاتحاد الاشتراكي للقوات الشعبية ⵜⴰⵎⵓⵏⵜ ⵜⴰⵏⵎⵍⴰⵢⵜ ⵏⵉⵖⴰⵍⵍⵏ ⵉⴳⴷⵓⴷⴰⵏⵏ Union Socialiste des Forces Populaires | |
|---|---|
| First Secretary | Driss Lachgar |
| Founded | 12 January 1975 |
| Split from | National Union of Popular Forces |
| Headquarters | Rabat, Morocco |
| Newspaper | Al Ittihad Al Ichtiraki (Arabic) Libération (French) |
| Ideology | Social democracy |
| Political position | Centre-left |
| Regional affiliation | PSOM (historical) |
| European affiliation | Party of European Socialists (observer) |
| International affiliation | Socialist International Progressive Alliance |
| Colours | Purple, White |
| House of Representatives | 37 / 395 |
| House of Councillors | 8 / 120 |
| Pan-African Parliament | 1 / 5 (Morocco seats) |
| Website | |
| www | |
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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, and led the government of Morocco with a centre-left coalition. During this period, Abderrahmane Youssoufi, who led the USFP, served as the Prime Minister of Morocco.
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. 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 (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.
The USFP won 34 seats in the 2021 parliamentary election, an increase of 14 seats since the last election.
Electoral performance
| Year | Number of votes | % | Seats in the House of Representatives | Position in Parliament |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 116,470 | 2.31 | 1 / 264 | Opposition |
| 1984 | 550,291 | 12.39 | 35 / 301 | Opposition |
| 1993 | 820,641 | 13.2 | 52 / 333 | Opposition |
| 1997 | 884,061 | 13.9 | 57 / 325 | Leading government under Abderrahmane Youssoufi |
| 2002 | 718,725 | 15.38 | 50 / 325 | Part of the government |
| 2007 | 408,945 | 8.9 | 38 / 325 | Part of the government |
| 2011 | 408,108 | 8.6 | 39 / 395 | Opposition |
| 2016 | 367,622 | 5.06 | 20 / 395 | Part of the government |
| 2021 | 590,215 | 7.80 | 34 / 395 | Opposition |
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