Morocco’s ruling coalition dominates low-turnout Parliament election

Turnout in Wednesday’s election was 38% among 16 million registered voters, the lowest since 2007.(AFP) — Morocco’s ruling coalition dominated parliamentary elections, provisional results showed Thursday, in a vote marked by low turnout and gains for the Islamist opposition.The center-right Authenticity and Modernity Party, or PAM, won 97 of 395 seats in the House of Representatives. The National Rally of Independents, or RNI, which leads the outgoing coalition, came in second with 66 seats.“Today, we celebrate the valuable trust citizens have placed in us, a trust born of 18 years of relentless struggle,” said Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, the PAM’s national coordinator, at a news conference.Turnout, especially among young Moroccans, proved a challenge for the parties weeks after tens of thousands of mainly young Moroccan migrants rushed into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta.The crisis highlighted economic and social frustrations among young people, even as Morocco records economic growth and ramps up major infrastructure projects ahead of co-hosting the 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal.Turnout in Wednesday’s election was 38% among 16 million registered voters, the lowest since 2007, when it was 36.8%. The vote came a year after a Gen Z protest movement took to the streets to demand better health care and education.Political scientist Mohamed Tozy said the results “have been fairly predictable,” adding that the PAM “did not achieve a landslide victory” despite “significant resources deployed.”Without an outright majority, the PAM will have to form a coalition with other parties. The next head of government, appointed by the king, will come from its ranks.El Mansouri said there was “no party with which we refuse to sit down,” but added that the PAM had not begun coalition talks.‘Great honour’One prominent figure considered a candidate for prime minister is the PAM’s Fouzi Lekjaa, the current budget minister who is better known as head of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation.El Mansouri, the current territorial planning minister and mayor of Marrakesh, could also become Morocco’s first woman prime minister. On Thursday, she said that would be a “great honour.”Her party has pledged average annual economic growth of 5%, inflation of 2% and at least 1 million new jobs over its five-year term.The PAM was founded in 2008 by current royal adviser Fouad Ali El Himma as a counterweight to the Islamist movement.The PAM and RNI were followed by the right-wing Istiqlal party with 65 seats. The Islamist opposition’s Justice and Development Party, or PJD, won 54 seats.The PJD made a significant comeback after winning just 13 seats in 2021. Its campaign focused in part on fighting corruption.Its leader, former Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane, hailed a “victory” but ruled out joining a PAM-led coalition, saying the party was “tainted by fraud.” He provided no details.Tozy said the PJD’s resurgence reflected a “sanction vote” against the outgoing government after the Islamist party campaigned to “bring morality to political life” and combat corruption.Development at ‘two speeds’The PJD criticized the outgoing government’s record on purchasing power, youth unemployment and public services, including health care.Those issues helped fuel the Ceuta migration crisis and the Gen Z-led protests. Demonstrators appealed directly to King Mohammed VI and called for Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch, who heads the RNI, to resign.During protests last year, young demonstrators repeatedly chanted, “We want hospitals, not just stadiums,” referring to Morocco’s sports investments.Morocco, which hosted the most recent Africa Cup of Nations soccer tournament, has undertaken major projects, including stadium construction, a high-speed rail network and airport renovations.But social and regional disparities remain significant, and unemployment is particularly high among young people.In an address after the Gen Z protests, the king denounced what he described as development taking place at “two speeds.”Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads