Morocco’s Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) secured the largest bloc of seats in the country’s parliamentary election but fell short of an absolute majority, leaving the party to seek coalition partners to form a government, according to final results announced by the Interior Ministry.
The monarchy-aligned PAM won 97 seats in the 395-member House of Representatives, the lower house of Morocco’s parliament. Under the Moroccan constitution, King Mohammed VI is required to name a prime minister from the winning party. However, because PAM remains well below the 198-seat threshold required to govern alone, it must build a majority coalition with rival political parties.
Voter turnout dropped sharply compared to recent elections, with only 38 percent of the country’s 15.8 million registered voters participating. The figure represents the second-lowest turnout recorded since King Mohammed VI took the throne in 1999, slightly above the historic low of 37 percent in 2007 and down from roughly 51 percent in the 2021 parliamentary elections.
PAM was founded in 2008 by Fouad Ali El Himma, an adviser and friend to the king, to serve as a counterbalance to the moderate Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD). The PJD previously led the Moroccan government for a decade before its parliamentary presence dropped to 13 seats in 2021. The PJD announced it will remain in opposition, leaving PAM expected to consult with the third-place monarchist Istiqlal party and other entities to form a parliamentary majority.
Potential candidates for the prime minister’s office from PAM include Fouzi Lekjaa, who serves as Morocco’s budget minister and head of the national football federation, and Fatima Ezzahra Mansouri, who currently serves as mayor of Marrakech and minister of national planning, urban planning, housing, and urban policy.
The new administration will assume office amid widespread public concern over the local economy. It will also be tasked with overseeing billions of dollars in infrastructure investment as Morocco prepares to cohost the 2030 World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal.
Sources
– Al Jazeera News: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/26/pam-wins-big-in-morocco-parliament-elections-but-falls-short-of-majority?traffic_source=rss
Source: Al Jazeera News
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Story synopsis gathered from: Al Jazeera News — source
