PAM Forms Four-Party Coalition to Secure Majority in Morocco

Morocco’s Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) has announced a governing coalition with the Istiqlal Party, the Socialist Union of Popular Forces and the Party of Progress and Socialism.

The four-party alliance controls 207 seats in the House of Representatives, giving it a majority with a margin of nine seats above the required threshold.

Coalition follows talks

The three partner parties agreed to enter the coalition after two rounds of talks. PAM, which finished first in the previous month’s legislative elections, said the alliance would move ahead with the formation of a new government.

The coalition parties said they would put forward candidates for ministerial offices in the coming days. They have not identified those candidates.

Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri has led efforts to assemble a governing majority. She said she conducted two weeks of what she described as “extensive political consultations” with various political groups.

New government preparations

King Mohammed VI named El Mansouri prime minister on September 29 and tasked her with forming a government. She is the country’s first female head of government.

The incoming administration is expected to focus on unemployment and the cost of living, particularly for young people. Those issues were prominent during the electoral campaign.

The coalition announcement gives El Mansouri’s government a parliamentary majority as the parties prepare to finalize ministerial appointments.