Morocco's interior ministry confirmed PAM's 97-seat election win

Under Article 47 of the constitution, King Mohammed VI appoints the head of government from the party that comes first, which gives PAM the first move in coalition talks. PAM will need to form a coalition because its 97 seats are short of the 198 needed for a majority. The ministry said regional and provincial counting commissions, chaired by judges, completed the count and deposited the minutes with the Constitutional Court.

Ninety-seven seats against a threshold of 198

The ministry's communiqué listed PAM with 97 seats, the National Rally of Independents (RNI) with 66 and the Istiqlal Party with 65. The Justice and Development Party (PJD) took 54. PAM finished 31 seats ahead of the RNI and 32 ahead of Istiqlal, Atalayar reported.

A majority in the 395-seat House of Representatives needs 198 seats, so PAM's 97 leave it short. The 2021 results show the swing: PAM rose from 87 to 97, the RNI fell from 102 to 66, Istiqlal dropped from 81 to 65 and the PJD climbed from 13 to 54, Al Jazeera reported. The PJD's 54 seats remain well below its 2016 result of 125. The three outgoing coalition parties hold 228 seats between them, above the 198 line, so they could renew their alliance without a fourth partner. The outgoing coalition shed 42 deputies compared with the previous legislature, Atalayar reported.

A partner PAM spent the campaign attacking

PAM and the RNI spent the campaign trading accusations after five years of shared government. PAM leaders ruled out another partnership with the RNI before the vote, Al Jazeera reported.

Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, a member of PAM's collective leadership, said during the campaign that if the RNI came first she personally would not want to join another government led by the party. She said PAM's National Council would decide alliances. After the results she called the rift a page now 'turned' and set no 'red lines' for coalition talks, Morocco World News reported. Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, another senior PAM figure, had also ruled out a renewed coalition with the RNI if the latter finished first.

Turnout at a two-decade low

Turnout was 38.08%, the interior ministry said, down from 50.86% in 2021 and 42.27% in 2016. That was the lowest since 2007, when 36.8% voted, AFP reported.

Only 15.8 million voters were registered, Al Jazeera reported. Only about 4% of registered voters were aged 18 to 24, AFP reported. Turnout in the Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra region reached 77%, the ministry said, well above the national figure.

Al Jazeera reported that analysts attributed the low figure to disengagement after youth-led protests over jobs, healthcare and education, and to mass attempts by migrants to reach Ceuta in July.

What the next cabinet inherits

PAM campaigned on a $37bn platform promising 1 million new jobs, better wages and continued investment in healthcare and social protection. AFP reported the party pledged average annual growth of 5%, inflation of 2% and at least 1 million jobs over five years.

The next government also oversees the final stages of a $20bn push toward the 2030 World Cup, which Morocco will co-host with Portugal and Spain. It inherits the pressures behind last year's Gen Z-led protests over jobs, wages and the cost of living. Tens of thousands of mostly young Moroccans rushed toward the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in July. The palace traditionally keeps defence and foreign affairs under royal control, whatever coalition emerges.

Who gets the nomination

Possible candidates for prime minister include two PAM figures. One is El Mansouri, mayor of Marrakesh and national planning minister; the other is Fouzi Lekjaa, the budget minister and head of the football federation. El Mansouri would be Morocco's first woman prime minister, Al Jazeera reported. Article 47 does not require the king to choose the party's secretary-general.

The PJD has said it will stay in opposition, leaving PAM expected to turn to Istiqlal and smaller parties for a majority, Al Jazeera reported. Candidates may consult the counting minutes for eight full days and obtain copies within eight days of receiving an appeal petition, the ministry said.