But the tide eventually turned against the Islamists. In Egypt in 2013, a coup overthrew the Muslim Brotherhood, leading to its current dictatorship. this year, President Kais Sayyed Tunisia suspended parliament, which had been controlled by moderate Islamists, in what many countries described as a coup.
In Morocco, moderate Islamists made little progress on any agenda of their own, with key ministries such as foreign affairs and industry being controlled by other parties. When Morocco’s king decided to strike a deal with Israel last year to normalize relations, there was nothing Islamists could do to stop a move they strongly opposed.
Vish Sakthivel, a postdoctoral associate in Middle East studies at Yale University, said: “At an academic level, there is a very healthy dose of political skepticism in most of Morocco across the country, and saw Islamists had little real power.
And as the pandemic spread through Morocco, the royal palace was seen as the main driver of relief programs.
“Most decisions aimed at mitigating the social and economic impacts of the pandemic were tied to the central power, the monarchy,” said Ms. Jerhouni. “While the political parties and parliament were inactive and waiting for the king’s instructions.”
The distrust has been reflected in small numbers in the first elections, including the last three elections, which saw an average turnout of only 42 percent. And this time, pandemic restrictions forced most voters to campaign online, leaving many voters without internet access.