The Socialist Union of Popular Forces, USFP, (Arabic

Arabic language

Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...

: الاتحاد الاشتراكي للقوات الشعبية, French

French language

French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

: Union Socialiste des Forces Populaires) is a social democratic

Social democracy

Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism...

 political party

Political party

A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...

 in Morocco

Morocco

Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...

. It was originally formed as a breakaway from the National Union of Popular Forces

National Union of Popular Forces

The National Union of Popular Forces was founded in 1959 in Morocco by Mehdi Ben Barka and his entourage, because they found that the Istiqlal Party - which had led the independence struggle - wasn't radical enough.Espousing socialist policies, the party took a strongly critical line towards the...

 (UNFP), a Socialist opposition party which had itself split from the Istiqlal Party

Istiqlal Party

The Istiqlal or Independence Party is a political party in Morocco...

 in 1959.

In the parliamentary election

Moroccan parliamentary election, 2002

The 2002 Moroccan parliamentary election was held in Morocco on 27 September 2002. The election was the first since King Mohammed VI of Morocco had come to the throne in 1999 and international observers saw it as a test of his commitment to democracy...

 held on 27 September 2002, the party won 50 out of 325 seats, making it the largest party in the Moroccan parliament

Parliament of Morocco

The Parliament of Morocco is located in Rabat, the capital of Morocco.- Composition :Since 1996, the national legislature has become bicameral and has therefore two parliamentary chambers:...

. It currently governs with the "Istiqlal" party in a three-party coalition

Coalition

A coalition is a pact or treaty among individuals or groups, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own self-interest, joining forces together for a common cause. This alliance may be temporary or a matter of convenience. A coalition thus differs from a more formal covenant...

 known as the "Koutla

Koutla

The Koutla is a political coalition between three Moroccan parties : the Istiqlal Party , the Socialist Union of Popular Forces and the Party of Progress and Socialism . The Koutla is a member of the present government....

".

In the next parliamentary election

Moroccan parliamentary election, 2007

Parliamentary elections were held in Morocco on 7 September 2007, the second of King Mohammed VI's reign. Voter turnout was estimated to be 37%, the lowest in Moroccan political history. There were 33 different parties and 13 independent candidates competing for 325 assembly seats...

, held on 7 September 2007, the USFP won 38 out of 325 losing 12 seats seats and became only the fifth largest party in parliament. The USFP was included in the government of Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi

Abbas El Fassi

Abbas El Fassi was the Prime Minister of Morocco from 19 September 2007 to 29 November 2011. El Fassi, a member of the Istiqlal Party, replaced independent Driss Jettou.El Fassi was born in Berkane, Morocco on September 18, 1940...

, formed on October 15, 2007.

The USFP is a full member of the Socialist International

Socialist International

The Socialist International is a worldwide organization of democratic socialist, social democratic and labour political parties. It was formed in 1951.- History :...

.

2011 elections

In the run up to the November 2011 parliamentary elections

Moroccan parliamentary election, 2011

An early parliamentary election was held in Morocco on 25 November 2011, brought forward from 2012 and then postponed from 7 October 2011.Public protests as part of the Arab Spring in February 2011 led King Mohammed VI to announce an early election, a process of constitutional reform granting new...

, the USFP sought to present a united front with the Party of Progress and Socialism

Party of Progress and Socialism

The Party of Progress and Socialism is a political party in Morocco. The party was founded by Ali Yata in 1974.In the parliamentary election held on 27 September 2002, the party won 11 out of 325 seats...

(PPS) and Democratic Forces Front (FFD) in order to reverse the loss of support for the Moroccan left in recent years.

The party placed fifth place in large field in the 2011 legislative elections.

External links

• Official web site