Morocco election 2026: PAM leads as voter turnout drops sharply

Morocco’s legislative election of September 23 has produced a new parliamentary balance while leaving the country’s broader political landscape recognizable. The Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) emerged as the largest force in the House of Representatives, while the Justice and Development Party (PJD) made a substantial recovery and the participation rate fell well below the levels recorded in previous elections.

The provisional results announced by Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit show PAM winning 97 of the House’s 395 seats. The National Rally of Independents (RNI) followed with 66 seats, while Istiqlal secured 65. The PJD obtained 54 seats, followed by the Popular Movement with 29 and the Socialist Union of Popular Forces with 26.

PAM leads as the parliamentary map changes

The result places PAM at the top of the new House of Representatives, ahead of the RNI and Istiqlal. The three parties were members of the outgoing governing majority, meaning that the election has changed their relative parliamentary weight without removing them from the centre of the coalition-building process.

The next government has yet to be formed. Morocco’s official electoral timetable states that the formation of a new government and the appointment of a head of government will follow the validation of the election results.

The distribution of seats gives political parties a substantially different parliamentary arithmetic to work with. Beyond the three leading formations, the PJD’s 54 seats represent a significant increase compared with its 2021 result, while the MP, USFP, PPS and UC retain parliamentary representation.

PJD returns to the centre of parliamentary opposition

One of the clearest changes concerns the PJD, which had suffered a major electoral setback in 2021. Its 2026 result of 54 seats restores the party to a much larger parliamentary presence.

The new configuration also includes the Left Alliance, which won eight seats, giving the parliamentary chamber another organized political voice from the left. The Democratic and Social Movement also obtained eight seats.

This distribution could increase the diversity of positions represented in parliamentary debates, even as the precise role of each party will depend on the alliances and parliamentary groupings that emerge after the results are validated.

Turnout becomes a central issue

The election’s other defining figure is participation.

The Interior Ministry initially reported a national turnout of 38.02% when polling stations closed on September 23. The provisional results announced the following day put participation at 38.08%. That compares with 50.86% in 2021 and 42.27% in 2016. Nearly six million voters took part in the 2026 election.

The figures indicate that a majority of registered voters did not cast a ballot. The official electoral roll contained 15,801,162 registered voters, with people aged 18 to 24 accounting for 4% of the electorate and those aged 25 to 34 representing 15%.

The turnout figure alone, however, does not establish why people stayed away from the polls. Political disengagement, personal circumstances, dissatisfaction with parties and other factors can all influence electoral participation. Claims that abstention constitutes a deliberate political message therefore remain interpretations rather than an official explanation of voter behaviour.

A younger electorate remains a particular challenge

The age structure of the electoral roll has added another dimension to the discussion surrounding participation. Official figures show that voters aged 18 to 24 represented only 4% of registered voters, while those aged 60 and above accounted for more than 29%.

These figures do not measure turnout by age, so they cannot by themselves demonstrate that younger citizens participated at a lower rate than older voters.

They do, however, underline the importance of youth registration and political participation in the longer-term relationship between citizens and political institutions.

Parliamentary opposition faces a new test

The stronger representation of the PJD and the presence of the Left Alliance could give opposition forces greater room to challenge government policies inside Parliament.

The extent of that influence will depend on how parliamentary groups organize themselves, which parties remain in government, and how the new majority is eventually assembled.

The electoral calendar confirms that the political process has not ended with the announcement of provisional results. The results must proceed through the validation process before the next government is formally established.

Beyond the numbers

The 2026 election therefore presents two developments at the same time: a redistribution of seats among established political forces and a significant decline in electoral participation.

PAM’s 97 seats give it the largest parliamentary presence in the provisional results, while the RNI and Istiqlal remain among the three largest parties. The PJD’s return to 54 seats changes the balance on the opposition side, and the Left Alliance adds another parliamentary presence.

The more difficult question concerns the relationship between the new Parliament and the voters who did not participate. With nearly 62% of registered voters not casting ballots based on the provisional turnout figure, the next parliamentary term will unfold against a backdrop of comparatively low electoral participation.

For the parties preparing for the next stage, the challenge is consequently not limited to forming a parliamentary majority. It also concerns how political institutions respond to citizens’ expectations and how participation can be sustained between one election and the next.