Morocco re-elects the governing coalition
The incoming parliament will form the government that will oversee the final stages of a $20 billion investment in preparation for the 2030 World Cup
2' min read
2' min read
The Minister of the Interior, Abdelouafi Laftit, has announced that the Moroccan governing coalition, comprising three centre-right parties, has secured an absolute majority in the House of Representatives. Voter turnout, however, is at its lowest since 2007.
The incoming parliament will form the government that will oversee the final stages of a $20 billion investment in preparation for the 2030 World Cup, which Morocco will co-host with Portugal and Spain. The new government also promises to implement economic policies aimed at tackling widespread youth discontent, an issue highlighted by the wave of migrants towards the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in July and by the Generation Z-led protests last year.
The governing coalition has been confirmed, but the balance of power is shifting
The Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) rose from second to first place within the coalition, winning 97 seats, buoyed by the arrival of Fouzi Lekjaa, head of the Moroccan Football Federation and a two-time minister responsible for the government budget, who joined the party just a few weeks before the election.
The National Rally of Independents (RNI) came second with 66 seats, followed by the conservative nationalist Istiqlal Party, which won 65. The three parties in the governing coalition secured a total of 228 of the 395 seats in the House of Representatives, comfortably exceeding the threshold of 198 seats required for an absolute majority.
The appointment of the Prime Minister
Morocco is a constitutional monarchy. The king is therefore a key figure: he chairs the Council of Ministers, makes the most important decisions on foreign and domestic policy, and appoints the head of government from among the members of the party that has won the most seats, in this case the PAM.
Lekjaa, who is credited with bringing the national football team to world fame, is one of the candidates to become prime minister, as is the current leader of the PAM, Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri.
The promises of the PAM
The PAM was founded in 2008 by an adviser to the king and has since positioned itself as a counterbalance to the Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD), promoting social modernisation and secular views.
During the election campaign, it promised to spend 350 billion dirhams (around 32 billion euros) to create 1 million new jobs and make new investments in healthcare, education, social protection and higher wages – a programme designed to address youth discontent, which culminated in the exodus to Ceuta this summer.
