Africa · updated 1h ago · 2 min read
Fouzi Lekjaa Joins PAM as Morocco’s Authenticity And Modernity Party Wins 97 Seats
PAM won 97 seats, becoming Morocco's largest party in parliament. Fouzi Lekjaa, president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, is PAM’s leading figure.
How much to foreground coalition rupture vs lingering bargaining.
6 of 9 outlets skipped it: ceuta mass crossing shaped election-week turnout context.
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Business Insider Africa
“PAM ruled out renewing its partnership with Akhannouch’s party.”Read the original ↗
Al Jazeera
“PAM and RNI spent the campaign trading accusations despite having governed together for five years.”Read the original ↗
Some outlets stress coalition rupture; others stress unresolved tension and ongoing bargaining.
PAM tops vote
Morocco’s Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) won 97 of the 395 seats in parliamentary elections, with the National Rally of Independents (RNI) taking 66 and the Istiqlal Party winning 65, according to results announced by Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit. Fouzi Lekjaa, the president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation and a budget minister, emerged as a strong prime minister candidate after Reuters said he joined PAM weeks before the vote. PAM’s rise came as the Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) rebounded to 54 seats from 13 in the previous election, with Reuters noting the comeback was buoyed by the return of Abdelilah Benkirane.
The vote also reflected disengagement, with turnout falling to about 38% from around 50% in the previous elections, Reuters said. Fatima Ezzra El Mansouri told Reuters, "We have turned the page," as she signaled no "red lines" for coalition negotiations.
Coalition math and quotes
Morocco’s constitutional system gives the king the power to appoint the head of government from the party that comes first in elections for the House of Representatives, and Anadolu Ajansı said a majority in the 395-member House requires at least 198 seats. PAM’s 97 seats put it at the starting point of government formation, while the party’s coalition talks were shaped by the need to secure partners beyond its own parliamentary strength. Fatima Zahra Mansouri said, "We do not believe in red lines when it comes to alliances," and she added, "We respect all parties, and there is no party we refuse to sit with."
Abdelilah Benkirane said, "My firm conviction is that this government, which will be led by PAM, does not raise the question of our participation in it," as he framed the PJD’s role as opposition. Benkirane told the country the PJD would stay in opposition after the vote.
World Cup stakes
Reuters tied the incoming parliament to overseeing the last stages of a $20-billion push to get ready for the 2030 World Cup, which Morocco will co-host with Portugal and Spain. Reuters said the government will also implement economic policies aimed at addressing youth discontent, an issue highlighted by a mass border rush on the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in July and deadly Gen-Z-led protests last year. Morocco prepares to spend an estimated $20 billion ahead of the 2030 World Cup, and it described PAM’s 97 seats as leaving the party short of a parliamentary majority.
PAM fell short of the 198 needed for a majority and would have to negotiate a coalition to form a government. Reuters said the PAM campaigned on promises of spending $37 billion to create 1 million new jobs and make new investments in healthcare, education, social protection and better wages.