PAM wins big in Morocco parliament elections but falls short of majority

Morocco's Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) emerged as the largest party in the country's parliamentary election, winning 97 of the 395 seats in the House of Representatives, the Interior Ministry said in the final results. Although PAM must provide the prime minister by constitutional convention — a choice to be made by King Mohammed VI from the party with the most seats — the party fell well short of the 198 seats required for an outright majority and will need to form a coalition to govern.

The moderate Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) staged a notable comeback, increasing its representation to 54 seats after a heavy defeat in 2021. However, the PJD has indicated it will remain in opposition, and longstanding tensions between the PJD and PAM make a coalition between them unlikely. PAM is therefore expected to seek partners among other monarchist or centrist parties, with the Istiqlal party — which finished third — among the potential coalition options.

PAM's previous coalition ally, the National Rally of Independents (RNI), lost significant ground in the vote, dropping from 102 seats to 66. Observers point to widespread public disengagement as a factor in the election: only 38 percent of Morocco's roughly 15.8 million registered voters cast ballots, the country's second-lowest turnout since King Mohammed VI took the throne in 1999.

The incoming government will be tasked with managing large-scale projects and investments as Morocco prepares to cohost the 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal. Potential candidates within PAM to be named prime minister include Fouzi Lekjaa, who heads Morocco's football federation and serves as budget minister, and Fatima Ezzahra Mansouri, the Marrakech mayor and minister of national planning, urban planning, housing and urban policy; if selected, Mansouri would be the country's first female prime minister.