Morocco’s 2026 vote returns 14 government officials to Parliament

Saturday 26 September 2026 - 09:01

Morocco’s September 23 legislative elections have brought a significant number of outgoing government officials back into Parliament, with 14 ministers and secretaries of state securing seats according to election results reported after the vote. One other member of the outgoing government who contested the election failed to win a parliamentary seat.

The results come as Morocco begins the institutional process leading to the formation of a new government. The elections covered 395 seats in the House of Representatives, with the provisional national tally placing the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) first with 97 seats, followed by the National Rally of Independents (RNI) with 66 and the Istiqlal Party with 65. The Justice and Development Party (PJD) won 54 seats.

PAM accounts for six returning government figures

The PAM’s electoral results included six members of the outgoing government who won parliamentary mandates.

Fatima Zahra Mansouri, who coordinates the party’s collective leadership, retained her seat in the Marrakech Medina-Sidi Youssef Ben Ali constituency. Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, the outgoing Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, also won in Rabat Ocean.

Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi secured the final seat in the Taroudant North constituency after finishing third. Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation Minister Azzedine El Midaoui was elected in Rhamna.

The group is completed by Adib Benbrahim, Secretary of State in charge of Housing, who won a seat in Rabat Chellah, and Hicham Sabiri, Secretary of State in charge of Employment, elected in Béni Mellal.

Four RNI officials secure parliamentary seats

The RNI also saw four members of the outgoing government elected.

Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development, and Water and Forests Minister Ahmed El Bouari won in Ouazzane, while Secretary of State for Maritime Fisheries Zakia Driouich secured a seat through the party’s regional list in Souss-Massa.

Government spokesperson and Minister Delegate for Relations with Parliament Mustapha Baitas retained a parliamentary seat in Sidi Ifni. Lahcen Saadi, Secretary of State for Handicrafts and the Social and Solidarity Economy, was elected in Taroudant North.

Karim Zidane, another RNI member of the outgoing government and Minister Delegate in charge of Investment, Convergence and Evaluation of Public Policies, was the exception among the government figures who contested the election. He finished fourth in Youssoufia and did not secure a seat, according to the available results.

Istiqlal maintains four government figures in Parliament

The Istiqlal Party also secured parliamentary seats for four members of the outgoing government.

Party Secretary-General and Minister of Equipment and Water Nizar Baraka was elected in Larache. Transport and Logistics Minister Abdessamad Kayouh won in Taroudant South, while Industry and Trade Minister Ryad Mezzour secured a seat in Benslimane.

Omar Hejira, Secretary of State for Foreign Trade, was elected in Oujda-Angad. The four had already been identified as Istiqlal candidates ahead of the September 23 vote.

Parliamentary mandates come before the next government

The return of 14 outgoing government members to the House of Representatives adds another dimension to the post-election political process. Winning a parliamentary seat does not, by itself, determine who will remain in the executive, as the formation of the next government follows the election results and the constitutional appointment process.

Morocco’s official election portal lists government formation as the final stage following validation of the results.

The election itself took place on September 23, with the Interior Ministry announcing provisional results the following day. The ministry reported a national turnout of 38.02% at the close of polling.

For the outgoing ministers and secretaries of state who have won parliamentary mandates, the immediate political transition therefore involves two separate questions: retaining or leaving executive office and taking up their newly secured positions in the House of Representatives.