El Mansouri Forms Morocco’s New Coalition Without Former Ally Akhannouch’s RNI
Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri has reached an agreement with three parties to form Morocco’s next government. The coalition has 207 seats in Parliament. Notably absent is Aziz Akhannouch’s RNI, which was an ally of the PAM in the outgoing governing majority.
Aziz Akhannouch and his party will not be part of the next governing majority. On Monday, October 12, Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri formalized an alliance between the Party of Authenticity and Modernity (PAM), Istiqlal, the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP) and the Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS). The four parties announced their agreement in a joint statement.
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The new coalition brings together 207 of the 395 seats in the House of Representatives. It is nine seats above the absolute majority threshold of 198. El Mansouri therefore has the parliamentary support needed to form her government, following the PAM’s victory in the September 23 legislative elections.
The change is particularly significant for the National Rally of Independents (RNI). Aziz Akhannouch’s party had led the government for five years alongside the PAM and Istiqlal. These three parties still held 228 seats after the elections, but their alliance will not be renewed.
The RNI leaves as three former Koutla allies join
El Mansouri ultimately chose to rely on the three historic Koutla parties: Istiqlal, the USFP and the PPS. Istiqlal therefore retains its place in the majority, while the two left-wing parties join the government after serving in the opposition.
In their joint statement, the four parties said they wanted to form a “strong political government,” based on their ideological proximity and a shared reform agenda. The agreement comes less than three weeks after the legislative election.
King Mohammed VI had appointed Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri head of government on September 29, after the PAM came first in the election with 97 seats. The former mayor of Marrakech becomes the first woman to hold the post in Morocco.
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Forming the cabinet is now the next step. The coalition partners still need to negotiate the distribution of ministries and finalize the government’s lineup. The October 12 statement names no future ministers.
The new government will be tasked in particular with addressing employment, education and health, which have been at the center of social demands in recent months. It will also oversee preparations for the 2030 World Cup, which Morocco will host with Spain and Portugal.
