RABAT, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Morocco, a kingdom in North Africa, is seeing fierce rivalry between the ruling Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) and the secular opposition, especially the liberal Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), just days before its parliamentary elections.
This rivalry is not new to Morocco's political arena since the PJD assumed power in late 2011, but it has risen to the level of showdown during the ongoing campaigns, which started on Sept. 24 and will run till Oct. 6.
Unpopular policies made by the PJD-led government, particularly the pension reform and the decision to cut subsidies on several products, have become easy targets for the opposition, which accuses the ruling party of undermining the country's stability.
The PJD is "clinging to its ideological positions" and has driven "radicalization" in Morocco, said PAM leader Ilyas El-Omari.
Omari vowed to "liberate" Morocco from the PJD and warned that another term for the ruling party would spell "catastrophe."
Driss Lachgar, the PAM's ally and leader of the Socialist Union of Popular Forces Party, described another term for the PJD as "a threat to peace and stability in the country."
"Islamists are dividing the society and making an end to the state," he warned, expecting the kingdom to end up like Syria if Islamists remain in power.
On Sept. 18, hundreds of people marched in Casablanca, the largest city in Morocco, to protest against "Islamization of the state."
In response, the PJD accuses the opposition parties, especially the PAM, of being used by "the deep state," a powerful nationalistic establishment which seeks to undermine democracy.
The PJD's leader, Moroccan Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane, expressed confidence in his party's victory in the upcoming legislative polls.
He said the polls will provide an opportunity for his party to navigate Morocco through economic woes and a constitutional overhaul.
He also promised to press ahead with economic reforms to lower the budget deficit.
The parliamentary polls in Morocco will determine the future political direction of the kingdom. In the local and municipal elections in 2015, the PJD won in almost all major cities.
About 15 million Moroccans are registered to elect the 395-member chamber of representatives, or the lower house of parliament. The prime minister will be selected by the king from the party that wins the most seats.
