Morocco’s Authenticity and Modernity Party Leads Provisional Election Results as Governing RNI Slips

CASABLANCA, Morocco (AP) — Morocco’s Authenticity and Modernity Party has taken the lead in provisional parliamentary election results, the Interior Ministry announced early Thursday, in an outcome that could reshape the country’s political balance as the outgoing governing coalition loses ground.

The party, known by its French acronym PAM, won 97 of the 395 seats in the House of Representatives, Morocco’s lower house. The governing National Rally of Independents, or RNI, followed with 66 seats, while the Istiqlal Party took 65. The Justice and Development Party, a moderate Islamist grouping that won just 13 seats in 2021, surged back to 54. The figures are provisional and may be revised before final certification.

The results mark a sharp reversal for the RNI-led government and a notable comeback for PJD, which led a coalition government for a decade before its collapse in the last election. PAM and Istiqlal were both part of the parliamentary majority behind the outgoing RNI-led government, meaning the next coalition could look significantly different.

Founded in 2008 by a figure close to the palace, PAM has long been seen as a counterweight to PJD. Its strong showing now positions it to play a central role in negotiations over the next government, though no party has won an outright majority in the 395-seat chamber. Under Morocco’s system, coalition talks are likely to determine who ultimately forms the government and how much influence the resurgent PJD will wield in the next Parliament.