The Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) came first in Morocco’s September 23 legislative elections, winning 97 of the 395 seats in the House of Representatives. The Interior Ministry released the final results on Thursday, September 24. PAM was founded in 2008 by Fouad Ali El Himma, now an adviser to the king. It will lead a highly fragmented parliament but remains well short of the 198 seats needed for an absolute majority.
The National Rally of Independents (RNI) is the big loser. The party won 102 seats in 2021 and has led the government since. This time it took only 66, losing more than a third of its seats. The drop comes a few months after a change of leadership: Aziz Akhannouch decided not to seek a second term, and in February one of his close allies, Mohamed Chaouki, took over as party leader. Nizar Baraka’s Istiqlal, the third party in the outgoing coalition, came a close third with 65 seats, down from 81 five years ago.
The Justice and Development Party (PJD) made the biggest comeback of the night. After a decade in power, the Islamist party led by Abdelilah Benkirane was left with just 13 seats in 2021. It now has 54 and is once again a force parliament cannot ignore. Further down the rankings come the Popular Movement (29), the USFP (26), the PPS (19) and the Constitutional Union (17). Fourteen parties in all will sit in the new chamber.
Turnout is still a cause for concern. Only 38% of the 15.8 million registered voters cast a ballot, about six million people in all. That is one of the lowest rates since 2002 and well below the 50% of 2021, when the legislative and local elections were held on the same day. The southern provinces were the exception, with turnout of 77% in Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra and 61% in Dakhla-Oued Eddahab. Youth unemployment and the cost of living dominated the campaign, against a backdrop of lasting distrust of the political class. Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit said the vote « took place normally, except for some isolated incidents. »
Article 47 of the Constitution sets out what happens next. King Mohammed VI must appoint the head of government from the party that came first, which puts PAM in line for the job, with Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as its leading figure. Several majorities are possible. Keeping the outgoing alliance of PAM, RNI and Istiqlal would give a comfortable 228 seats, though with the leadership reversed. A coalition of PAM, Istiqlal and PJD would reach 216 seats and bring together two parties that have long been rivals. Other combinations could include the Popular Movement or the USFP. Negotiations now begin, and how they end will show whether a new head of government also means a new direction.