PAM wins Morocco's election but falls short of a majority
The Authenticity and Modernity Party took 97 of 395 seats on a turnout of about 38%.
Update: King Mohammed VI appointed PAM's Fatima Zahra Mansouri as Morocco's first woman prime minister on 29 September 2026. Read the latest.
Key points
- Morocco's Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) won 97 of 395 seats in the House of Representatives in the 23 September 2026 election, short of the 198 needed for a majority.
- The RNI, which led the outgoing government, fell from 102 to 66 seats, Istiqlal won 65, and the PJD rose from 13 to 54 seats.
- Turnout was about 38% of 15.8 million registered voters, the second-lowest since 1999.
Morocco's Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) has won the most seats in the country's parliamentary election, taking 97 of the 395 seats in the House of Representatives. That is short of the 198 needed for a majority.
The Ministry of Interior announced the final results on 26 September 2026, three days after the vote on 23 September.
The results
- Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM): 97 seats, up from 87 in 2021.
- National Rally of Independents (RNI): 66 seats, down from 102. The RNI led the outgoing government.
- Istiqlal Party: 65 seats, down from 81.
- Justice and Development Party (PJD): 54 seats, up from 13, a striking comeback.
Low turnout
Turnout was about 38% of 15.8 million registered voters. That is the second-lowest turnout in a parliamentary election since King Mohammed VI came to the throne in 1999, after the 37% recorded in 2007.
Al Jazeera linked voter disengagement to frustration over jobs, healthcare and education, the issues behind youth-led protests in 2025.
What happens next
Under Morocco's constitution, the king appoints the prime minister from the party that wins the most seats. PAM will then need coalition partners to form a government. The PJD has signalled that it will stay in opposition, which makes a deal between PAM, Istiqlal and other parties more likely.
The next government will oversee Morocco's preparations to co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup with Spain and Portugal.
Sources
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