PAM leads Morocco election but falls short of majority

Morocco’s Authenticity and Modernity Party won the most seats in Wednesday’s parliamentary election, taking 97 of the 395 seats in the House of Representatives, according to provisional results announced by the Interior Ministry. The result leaves the party well short of a majority and makes coalition negotiations central to forming the next government. The National Rally of Independents, or RNI, which led the outgoing coalition, won 66 seats, while the Istiqlal Party took 65. The Justice and Development Party, a moderate Islamist party that held 13 seats after the 2021 election, rebounded to 54. The figures are provisional, and no single party secured enough seats to govern alone. Turnout was reported at 38 percent, the lowest level since 2007. In 2021, turnout was 50.4 percent when parliamentary, local and regional elections were held together. The election followed public concerns over living costs, unemployment and pressure on public services. Before the vote, youth unemployment was reported at 37.3 percent for people aged 15 to 24; the Interior Ministry said about 4 percent of registered voters were aged 18 to 24.