Morocco’s election put PAM first—and 101 seats short of a majority

For Moroccans awaiting a new government, the election result makes parliamentary support a central question. The Authenticity and Modernity Party, or PAM, finished first with 97 seats—101 short of holding more than half the House of Representatives. Even the two largest parties together fall below that threshold.

Morocco’s Interior Ministry says final commission totals match the provisional result. The election took place on September 23, 2026. The ministry issued its statement on September 25; state-affiliated news agency MAP carried it with the same dateline, and Morocco’s official government portal, maroc.ma, published it on September 26.

According to a September 29, 2026 release from Morocco’s embassy in the United States, King Mohammed VI appointed Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri head of government that day and tasked her with forming a new government. The appointment does not establish that a coalition, cabinet or parliamentary majority has been secured.

Our earlier explainer examined the provisional figures. Their confirmation allows the same arithmetic to be read alongside the completed 2021 election record, showing both the gap to a majority and the redistribution of seats among the largest parties.

In a 395-seat chamber, 198 is the smallest whole-seat majority: half is 197.5. PAM’s shortfall is therefore 198 − 97 = 101. Adding the runner-up, the National Rally of Independents, or RNI, gives 97 + 66 = 163 seats, leaving the two largest parties 35 short.

Three illustrative combinations exceed the threshold. Readers can check each with an ordinary calculator:

• PAM + RNI + Istiqlal: 97 + 66 + 65 = 228
• PAM + RNI + PJD: 97 + 66 + 54 = 217
• PAM + Istiqlal + PJD: 97 + 65 + 54 = 216

These combinations assume all named members vote together. They show numerical possibilities, without establishing a formal coalition requirement, political compatibility, negotiations or agreements.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union’s historical election record, drawing on Morocco’s House of Representatives figures dated September 16, 2021, provides the baseline for comparison:

First place changed hands: RNI led in 2021, while PAM leads now. Yet these four parties’ combined total barely moved, from 283 seats to 282. PAM and PJD gained a combined 51 seats; RNI and Istiqlal lost 52. The substantial change lies in how parliamentary representation is distributed within the group. These figures do not establish changes in popular-vote shares.

The remaining 113 seats are spread across ten parties. All the ministry’s published party totals sum to 395 seats across 14 parties, compared with 12 represented parties in the IPU’s 2021 record.

The ministry’s confirmation of finalized commission totals does not establish that all possible legal challenges have ended.