( CNN ) -- Morocco 's king asked the head of a moderate Islamist party to form a government Tuesday , state media said , after the party claimed victory in the country 's first parliamentary elections since constitutional reforms this summer . 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 Friday 's vote . King Mohammed VI appointed Abdelilah Benkirane , the party 's secretary-general , as head of the new government Tuesday 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 . Lise Storm , senior lecturer in Middle East Politics at the University of Exeter in England , said the PJD 's result this time round constituted `` remarkable progress -- much higher than anticipated by anyone , and also much , much better than any of the party 's competitors . '' The margin of victory for the PJD surprised many observers , she said , and suggests that those protesting against the country 's governing elite in recent months are truly fed up . `` I think we are witnessing an Islamist wave in the Middle East , with so-called Islamist moderates winning not only in Turkey , but also in Tunisia and Morocco , and possibly also in Egypt , '' Storm said . `` It gives an indication of the sentiments of the general population in these countries , and ( of ) the state of the political opposition there too , as the Islamists in many cases have been the most visible opposition force , and the best organized too . '' The PJD is more moderate than Turkey 's governing Justice and Development Party or the Islamists who won power in Tunisian elections last month , Storm said . The party 's online mission statement lists three values -- authenticity , justice and development -- and makes little mention of Islam . Authenticity `` has to be consistent with our values , culture and civilization , with the incorporation and respect for the cultural , linguistic and ethnic groups , within the space of the Islamic brotherhood , '' the statement says . 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 . The youth-based February 20 Movement called for jobs and an end to corruption its members say stems from royal cronies . CNN 's Saad Abedine contributed to this report .
The Justice and Development Party won 107 of 395 seats in Friday 's election . The head of the moderate Islamist party has been asked to form a Cabinet . Comment: The election results indicates public unhappiness with the governing elite , an analyst says .