The Islamist Justice and Development Party, or PJD, is expected to form a coalition government after it won 107 of the 395 seats contested in December 2 vote.

King Mohammed VI appointed Abdelilah Benkirane, the party's secretary-general, as head of the new government on November 29 and asked him to form a Cabinet, the official news agency MAP reported.

Benkirane, a former managing director of three newspapers and a father of six, was elected secretary-general of the PJD in 2008, MAP says.

According to its website, the PJD previously participated in elections in 1997, 2002 and 2007. The party won 46 seats in 2007 and 42 in 2002, after taking just nine seats in 1997.

Under the new constitution, approved by referendum in July, both Parliament and the prime minister have greater powers, while the monarch's sway has been slightly lessened.

The changes -- which mean the prime minister must now be chosen from the party that wins the greatest number of votes -- came after thousands of Moroccans took to the streets to demonstrate earlier this year, inspired by what became known as the Arab Spring.