Moroccan king urges clean elections in September

RABAT, Aug 21 (Reuters) King Mohammed urged Morocco's politicians to ensure parliamentary elections in September were clear of any corruption.

The September 7 elections will pit the secular establishment that has ruled Morocco for more than 50 years against Islamists who have drawn on widespread disillusionment with politicians viewed by many as corrupt or ineffectual.

''We urge (political parties) to see that the polls will be impeccably clean, clear of all suspicion and free from all artificial arrangements,'' the king said in an address to the North African country yesterday, where the monarchy wields ultimate power.

''We ... urge them to respect the free will of the people,'' said Mohammed, who has spearheaded reforms to deepen democracy, boost the economy and help lift people out of poverty in the country of 30 million.

Several surveys have shown Moroccans hold the present parliament in low esteem because of past vote-buying.

Rural poverty is still widespread in Morocco and in the cities unemployment is high, fuelling social tension that many blame for a rise in religious militancy.

North Africa has been on alert since al Qaeda's regional wing, the Algerian-based Al Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb, threatened last month to step up attacks against ''corrupt'' regional rulers and their Western allies.

The king urged voters to think about Morocco's economic and political future when they cast their ballots.

''The ballots ... decide which are the best programmes and speeches among those submitted to your free choice,'' he said.

The outcome of the elections will be closely followed by US President George W Bush's administration, which regards a push towards full democracy in the West Asia and Africa as a priority in its war against terrorism.

Foreign governments have praised political and human rights reforms undertaken by Morocco since Mohammed became king in 1999 after the iron-fisted rule of the late King Hassan.

But democracy activists in the country say royal-appointed technocrats still hold the true levers of power and occupy top jobs including Prime Minister and interior minister, curtailing the role of elected politicians.

Reuters CS VP0640