Liberals defeat Islamists at polls to head government

King Mohammed VI invited Aziz Akhannouch to lead a new government after his liberal RNI party thrashed the long-ruling Islamists in parliamentary elections. The RNI won 102 of parliament’s 395 seats, trouncing the moderate PJD Islamists, which had headed the governing coalition for a decade but took just 13 seats, according to results released by the interior ministry. The billionaire businessman has led the RNI since 2016. His party is considered close to the palace and has been part of all coalition governments for the past 23 years, except for a brief period in 2012-13.