Morocco's ruling Islamists were on course Saturday to finish second behind the liberal opposition in local polls seen as a gauge of the political climate ahead of next year's general election, partial results showed.
With around 80 percent of the ballots tallied, the Party of Authenticity and Modernity (PAM), a liberal opposition party founded by a politician close to the king, was leading with 20.7 percent of the votes, the interior ministry said.