The Moroccan Ministry of Interior announced on Wednesday that the voter turnout in the parliamentary elections reached 4.23% just two hours after the polling began. In their first update on the election day, the ministry reported, "As of 10:00 GMT, the turnout stood at 4.23% following the commencement of voting at 08:00 GMT." This figure marks a significant contrast to the last parliamentary elections in 2021, where the participation rate was approximately 50.18%.
The ministry also indicated that the voting process for the House of Representatives (the lower house of parliament) commenced under "normal conditions" across all polling stations. Voting will conclude at 19:00 GMT, and the electoral process is being monitored by 3,206 observers, including 200 foreign monitors.
According to official data, the number of registered voters on the electoral rolls as of July amounted to 15,801,162 individuals. A total of 28 political parties are participating in this election, with 1,850 lists competing, which includes 7,288 candidates, among whom are 2,658 women, vying for 395 parliamentary seats. After the polling stations close, the members will commence the vote counting process, which will take place in the presence of representatives from the competing lists. The Ministry of Interior is expected to announce the preliminary results in the early hours of Thursday.
The results of this election will determine which party will be tasked with forming the government for the next five years, as well as the identities of the parties that will comprise the governing majority. It is anticipated that the leading party will initiate discussions to form the government after the results are declared, requiring a minimum majority of 198 seats to successfully establish a government. Achieving this majority through a list-based voting system remains a challenging endeavor for any single party.
According to Article 47 of the constitution, the king appoints the prime minister from the political party that wins the most seats in the House of Representatives, while the members of the government are designated based on the prime minister's recommendations.
The incoming government will face numerous political, economic, and social issues, including projects related to Morocco's participation in hosting the 2030 FIFA World Cup. In the elections held on September 8, 2021, the National Rally of Independents party was the frontrunner, securing 102 seats, followed by the Authenticity and Modernity party with 86 seats, and the Istiqlal party with 81 seats. The current government is led by Aziz Akhannouch, the leader of the National Rally of Independents, who heads a coalition that includes the Authenticity and Modernity and Istiqlal parties.
As reported by aa.com.tr.
