Morocco's legistlative elections marked by record-low voter turnout

Morocco has elected a new parliament following polls on Wednesday that saw voter turnout of just 38 per cent, the lowest in nearly two decades.

While nearly 16 million people were registered to cast their ballots, only about 4 per cent of them were aged between 18 and 24.

The election came less than two months after a mass migration crisis when tens of thousands of mainly young Moroccans rushed into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta.

According to preliminary results published on Thursday, the centre-right Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) has taken 95 seats in the 395-seat parliament.

The National Rally of Independents (RNI), which heads the outgoing coalition, came in second with 66 seats.

This was followed by the right-wing Istiqlal party with 65 seats, while the Islamist opposition's Justice and Development Party took 54 seats.

Morocco uses a multi-party parliamentary system with power shared through coalitions.

While PAM leads the provisional seat count, the official ruling coalition for the new term must still be negotiated and finalised.

It  will oversee preparations to co-host the 2030 World Cup, and initiatives aimed at reducing inequalities and addressing youth discontent.

In September 2025, a Gen-Z protest movement took to the streets in Morocco to demand better health and education.