Overview
- Provisional results released by the Interior Ministry showed PAM won 97 of 395 seats, the National Rally of Independents took 66, Istiqlal 65 and the Islamist PJD 54, with turnout about 38 percent.
- Under the constitution the king must appoint the head of government from the party that wins the most seats, putting PAM first in line and two party figures, Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri and Fouzi Lekjaa, in public contention for the post.
- PAM does not hold the 198 seats needed for an outright majority, so it must build a coalition and the party’s stated refusal to renew ties with the RNI could complicate negotiations.
- The PJD staged a major recovery from 13 seats in 2021 to 54 in the provisional tally, shifting the balance of possible alliances and increasing the party’s bargaining power in talks.
- The new government will inherit a large World Cup infrastructure programme estimated at roughly $20 billion and faces pressure to tackle high youth unemployment and the political disengagement that produced low turnout and recent Gen Z protests.