Party founded by king's adviser tops Morocco election amid record-low turnout
Preliminary results show a party founded by an adviser to King Mohammed VI leading a close, multi-party vote marked by historically low turnout, with outlets differing on how to frame the result and its implications.
What happened
Morocco's Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), founded by an adviser to King Mohammed VI, won the most seats in September 23-24 legislative elections but fell short of a majority, according to preliminary results.245781011
The National, citing Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit, reported PAM won 97 of 395 seats, followed by RNI with 66 and Istiqlal with 65.10
Le Monde and The New York Times described turnout as the lowest since 2007 or in nearly two decades, while El País reported 62% abstention and Anadolu Agency cited the Interior Ministry's figure of 38% turnout nationwide.13711
The incoming coalition government is expected to address youth unemployment and cost-of-living concerns while overseeing final preparations for Morocco's co-hosting of the 2030 World Cup.24910
What's agreed
Reported consistently by outlets in more than one region.
- The Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) won the most seats in Morocco's September 23-24 legislative elections but fell short of a majority.2345781011
- PAM was founded by an adviser to King Mohammed VI.578
- Voter turnout was low, with El País reporting 62% abstention and Anadolu Agency citing the Interior Ministry's figure of 38% turnout nationwide.711
- The National Rally of Independents (RNI) and the Istiqlal Party, PAM's partners in the outgoing coalition, finished next in seats.410
- The incoming government will oversee preparations for Morocco's co-hosting of the 2030 World Cup.234910
- Economic concerns, including youth unemployment and cost of living, featured prominently around the election.2910
Where accounts differ
Each account is attributed to who makes it. We do not judge between them.
Exact turnout and abstention figures
How it's framed
What each perspective puts first, based on headlines and summaries.
| Perspective | How it reads | What it puts first |
|---|---|---|
| US outletNorth America | Emphasizes record-low youth turnout and the closeness of a palace-aligned party to the monarchy, framing the result through disengagement of young voters.3 | low turnout, young voters staying away, party close to king |
| European outlets (France, Germany, Spain)Europe | Highlight PAM's proximity to King Mohammed VI and high abstention; Le Monde notes rural versus urban voting patterns, and Deutsche Welle notes a surge for the Islamist opposition.1579 | party closest to the king, abstention rate, rural vs urban vote (Le Monde), Islamist opposition surge (Deutsche Welle) |
| Middle East and Gulf outletsMiddle East & Turkey | Frame PAM's win around its liberal-centrist identity, a boost from a football figure, and the limited practical change expected given the monarchy's constitutional powers, alongside World Cup preparation and youth unemployment pressures.2810 | football chief boost, constitutional monarchy, king's sweeping powers, youth unemployment, World Cup preparation |
| Qatari and Turkish state-controlled outletsMiddle East & Turkey | State-controlled Al Jazeera and Anadolu Agency report the results with seat and turnout figures, emphasizing World Cup context and public economic frustration without extensive political commentary.211 | seat totals, turnout percentage, World Cup preparations, economic frustration |
| Israeli outletMiddle East & Turkey | The Times of Israel foregrounds a specific elected candidate's past remarks about a Jewish leader and actions toward the Israeli flag, framing the election result through this controversy alongside the Islamist opposition's gains.6 | candidate's remarks about Jewish leader, flag incident, Islamist opposition gains |
| Southeast Asian outletSoutheast Asia | The Straits Times presents a straightforward account of seat rankings and coalition implications, emphasizing the World Cup budget and youth discontent including the Ceuta border incident and prior unrest.4 | seat rankings, $20 billion World Cup push, Ceuta border rush, youth discontent |
What the coverage leaves out
- None of the outlets reviewed reported the government's or PAM leadership's official response to the results.
- None of the outlets reviewed detailed the specific policy platforms of PAM, RNI, or Istiqlal beyond general economic themes.
- None of the outlets reviewed explained in depth the identity or background of the football-related figure credited with boosting PAM's campaign, beyond Arab News's brief mention.
- None of the outlets reviewed provided a full breakdown of seat totals for all parties, including the Islamist opposition referenced by Deutsche Welle and The Times of Israel.
- Anadolu Agency's seat report did not include RNI or Istiqlal totals given by The National, reflecting differing levels of reporting detail rather than a factual conflict.
Why it matters
Morocco is a constitutional monarchy in which the king retains sweeping powers over foreign policy, defense and other key portfolios, meaning the election is not expected to fundamentally alter the political balance, according to Arab News.8
The vote comes as Morocco pushes a $20 billion program to prepare for the 2030 World Cup and faces youth discontent, which The Straits Times links to a mass border rush on Ceuta and deadly Gen-Z-led unrest.4
What to watch
- Coalition negotiations between PAM, RNI and Istiqlal to form the next government, as flagged by The National and El País.
- Whether the incoming government addresses youth unemployment and cost-of-living concerns highlighted by Euronews and The National.
- Further reporting on the candidate controversy raised by The Times of Israel.
Sources (11)
Every outlet we drew on, grouped by where it is based. Read the originals for the full reporting.
North America
- 3The New York TimesUSPrivate
Party Close to King Leads in Morocco’s Election as Young Voters Stay Away
Europe
- 1Le MondeFRPrivate
Legislative elections in Morocco: "The vote of the rural world is always decisive"
Translated from French: Législatives au Maroc : « Le vote du monde rural est toujours déterminant »
- 5Deutsche WelleDEPublic broadcaster
- 7El PaísESPrivate
The party closest to the king wins elections in Morocco with 62% abstention
Translated from Spanish: El partido más próximo al rey gana las elecciones en Marruecos con una abstención del 62%
- 9EuronewsFRPrivate
Morocco votes for new parliament amid hopes and concerns over cost of living
Middle East & Turkey
- 2Al Jazeera EnglishQAState-controlled
PAM wins big in Morocco parliament elections but falls short of majority
- 6The Times of IsraelILPrivate
Morocco’s ruling coalition tops vote; candidate who called Jewish leader ‘cancer’ elected
- 8Arab NewsSAPrivate
Moroccan centrist party tops parliament vote after boost from football chief
- 10The NationalAEPrivate
- 11Anadolu AgencyTRState-controlled
PAM party leads Morocco’s legislative elections with 97 seats
Southeast Asia
- 4The Straits TimesSGPrivate
PAM party wins most seats in Morocco's parliamentary election