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Morocco Counts Votes as Parliamentary Election Polls Close
(MENAFN) Vote counting got underway across Morocco on Wednesday after polling stations closed in parliamentary elections that will shape the makeup of the country's 395-seat House of Representatives.
Polls opened at 8 a.m. GMT and shut at 7 p.m., according to a correspondent on the ground. Morocco's Interior Ministry reported that nationwide turnout stood at 28.05% as of 5 p.m. GMT, and said voting had proceeded under "normal conditions." That figure marks a steep drop from the previous parliamentary election on Sept. 8, 2021, which saw final turnout reach 50.18%.
Wednesday's vote was monitored by 3,206 observers in total, including 200 foreign monitors. Official figures show 15,801,162 registered voters were eligible to cast ballots, with 28 political parties fielding 1,850 candidate lists comprising 7,288 candidates — among them 2,658 women — competing for the chamber's 395 seats. The Interior Ministry is expected to release preliminary results in the early hours of Thursday.
Under Article 47 of Morocco's Constitution, the king appoints the head of government from whichever party finishes first in the House of Representatives race, with cabinet members subsequently appointed by the king on that leader's recommendation. Securing a parliamentary majority requires at least 198 seats — a threshold that makes coalition negotiations likely should no single party win outright.
Whoever forms the next government will inherit a heavy agenda of political, economic and social challenges, compounded by major infrastructure and development projects tied to Morocco's role as co-host of the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
In the 2021 election, the National Rally of Independents (RNI) topped the field with 102 seats, trailed by the Authenticity and Modernity Party with 86 and the Istiqlal Party with 81. The sitting government, led by RNI chief Aziz Akhannouch, governs in coalition with the Authenticity and Modernity Party and Istiqlal.
Polls opened at 8 a.m. GMT and shut at 7 p.m., according to a correspondent on the ground. Morocco's Interior Ministry reported that nationwide turnout stood at 28.05% as of 5 p.m. GMT, and said voting had proceeded under "normal conditions." That figure marks a steep drop from the previous parliamentary election on Sept. 8, 2021, which saw final turnout reach 50.18%.
Wednesday's vote was monitored by 3,206 observers in total, including 200 foreign monitors. Official figures show 15,801,162 registered voters were eligible to cast ballots, with 28 political parties fielding 1,850 candidate lists comprising 7,288 candidates — among them 2,658 women — competing for the chamber's 395 seats. The Interior Ministry is expected to release preliminary results in the early hours of Thursday.
Under Article 47 of Morocco's Constitution, the king appoints the head of government from whichever party finishes first in the House of Representatives race, with cabinet members subsequently appointed by the king on that leader's recommendation. Securing a parliamentary majority requires at least 198 seats — a threshold that makes coalition negotiations likely should no single party win outright.
Whoever forms the next government will inherit a heavy agenda of political, economic and social challenges, compounded by major infrastructure and development projects tied to Morocco's role as co-host of the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
In the 2021 election, the National Rally of Independents (RNI) topped the field with 102 seats, trailed by the Authenticity and Modernity Party with 86 and the Istiqlal Party with 81. The sitting government, led by RNI chief Aziz Akhannouch, governs in coalition with the Authenticity and Modernity Party and Istiqlal.
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