Why Morocco's Islamists struggle to manage economy
A stagnant economy, due to a decline in tourism, agriculture and phosphate earnings, is frustrating voters in a country where the long-term economic trend has not been positive.
Nearly two months after its parliamentary elections, Morocco has not yet assembled a governing coalition. Meanwhile, its economic problems are piling up and causing anxiety among American and European investors.
The gross domestic product (GDP) in the North African nation was $100 billion in 2015, an almost 10% decline from $110 billion in 2014.
The long-term economic trend has not been positive. Morocco’s GDP is slightly lower today than it was in 2011, when the ruling Justice and Development Party, an Islamist party, won a plurality in the national elections and built a governing coalition with smaller parties.
The economic downturn was partly caused by a drought last year that reduced farm production in an economy where agriculture accounts for about one-third of economic output.
