Morocco: the Party of Authenticity and Modernity wins the elections, possible female prime minister

The Party of Authenticity and Modernity won 97 seats out of 395. Now it will be King Mohammed VI who will nominate the new head of government: many are pointing to Fatima-Zahra Mansouri, mayor of Marrakech and outgoing Minister of Construction and Urban Planning. She would be the first woman to lead the country, struggling between the preparation of the 2030 World Cup and social issues such as the migration crisis and the discontent of Gen Z. Turnout at its lowest

It could be a woman, for the first time in history, who leads Morocco's next government. The parliamentary elections of 23 September saw the victory of the Pam, the Party of authenticity and modernity, which won 97 seats out of 395. Now it is up to King Mohammed VI to indicate the new head of the executive, as Morocco is a constitutional monarchy: he will have to choose him from the ranks of the Pam, which has always been very close to the Palace. The bets are still open, but many are pointing to Fatima-Zahra Mansouri, at the helm of the party: she is also mayor of Marrakech and outgoing Minister of Construction and Urban Planning. Also in the running are the two colleagues Mohamed Mehdi Bensaïd and Salaheddine Aboulghali, as well as Faouzi Lakjaa, the president of the national football federation, who recently joined the WFP, just as we are preparing for the 2030 World Cup.

The situation in Morocco, from the 2030 World Cup in Ceuta

The next government will therefore have the task of ferrying Morocco towards the World Cup, a challenge worth 20 billion dollars for the country. He will also have to deal with many of the issues that have weighed on the low turnout, from discontent with inequalities to the disillusionment of Gen Z (highlighted by the strong protests last year), passing through the migration issue, which is increasingly at the center of the debate after this summer's crisis in the Spanish exclave of Ceuta.

The results of the elections in Morocco

After the Pam, the second most voted party was the National Rally of Independents, Rni, which had the majority in the just closed legislature and won 66 seats. Then there are the Istqlal (61 seats), the pro-Islamist PJD (54) and the Popular Movement (29).

The turnout was bad, one of the lowest figures ever

Nearly six million citizens went to the polls, with a final turnout of 38.08%, one of the lowest figures ever recorded in the constitutional history of Morocco. In 2021 it was 50.88% and in 2016 it was 42.47%. In all, there would be 27 million potential voters.