Moroccan authorities have detained the mayor of Tangier over suspected electoral fraud in the country’s recent parliamentary elections.
Mayor Mounir Limouri was placed in police custody on Monday. The public prosecutor ordered his detention as part of an investigation into alleged ballot fraud, a judicial source told AFP.
Five other people have also been detained over similar allegations.
They include two officials who supervised polling stations in Tangier.
Tangier mayor investigated over alleged fraud
According to the judicial source, Limouri remains in police custody while authorities investigate suspected electoral fraud.
Meanwhile, the five other suspects are being held in pre-trial detention.
Media reports said police detained Limouri after he arrived at Tangier airport from Spain. Authorities had reportedly issued a warrant over alleged ballot tampering in his constituency.
However, Limouri has denied any involvement.
He told Moroccan news website Le360 over the weekend that he “had no connection” with the incident.
Morocco investigates election allegations
The allegations emerged following Morocco’s parliamentary election last week.
The Interior Ministry said authorities were carrying out a broad investigation into reports of electoral fraud.
One polling station official in Tangier was arrested on election day, according to media reports.
The official was allegedly found with documents intended for ballot tampering.
However, the allegations remain under investigation.
The election was also marked by Morocco’s lowest voter turnout in two decades.
PAM wins most seats
Limouri belongs to the centre-right Authenticity and Modernity Party, known as PAM.
The party won the largest number of seats in the election.
PAM secured 97 of the 395 seats in Morocco’s House of Representatives.
The National Rally of Independents, or RNI, came second with 66 seats. The RNI leads the outgoing governing coalition.
The election result means Morocco is expected to appoint its next prime minister from PAM.
Budget Minister Fouzi Lekjaa has been mentioned as a possible candidate. He also heads the Royal Moroccan Football Federation.
Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri is another potential candidate. She serves as PAM’s national coordinator, territorial planning minister and mayor of Marrakesh.
If appointed, El Mansouri would become Morocco’s first woman prime minister.
Electoral investigation continues
The investigation in Tangier comes as Morocco prepares for a new government following the parliamentary election.
Authorities have not announced a final finding against Limouri.
For now, the case remains an investigation into alleged electoral fraud. Limouri has denied involvement in the reported incident.