MOROCCO · POLITICS
Key Facts
- —The country Morocco, a major non-NATO US ally, is forming a new government.
- —What happened Socialist Union council voted unanimously on 10 October to join the cabinet.
- —The numbers The Socialist Union holds 26 of 395 seats; a majority needs 198.
- —The leader El Mansouri, of the PAM, named head of government 29 September.
- —Prediction markets Polymarket gives El Mansouri a 94% chance of parliamentary investiture (11 October, 1:47 a.m. ET).
- —Still open Portfolio split, cabinet size and investiture vote date are not set.
Morocco’s main centre-left party has agreed to join the country’s next government, moving the prime minister-designate closer to a working majority.
The national council of the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP) voted unanimously on Saturday, 10 October, to join Morocco’s next government. Prime minister-designate Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri is forming that cabinet, Hespress and Le360 reported.
The decision matters beyond Morocco because the North African kingdom is a close United States security and trade partner. Its 26 seats bring El Mansouri’s planned coalition within reach of the 198 seats needed for a majority.
What the Socialist Union Decided
The council, which the party calls its “Rose Parliament”, met in an extraordinary session at its headquarters in Rabat’s Riad district. It authorised First Secretary Driss Lachgar to negotiate the terms of participation and to handle talks with the other majority parties.
The council said its participation must be tied to clear political and programme commitments. It asked for coherence between the government programme, the structure of the cabinet and the tools used to measure results.
Its listed priorities are young people, productive investment and jobs, strategic security, and faster regional decentralisation. It also cited the speech King Mohammed VI gave on Friday, 9 October, opening the new legislative term.
Before the vote, Lachgar told members the party wanted a strong political government. “We chose participation because we want a strong political government,” he said, according to Le360, which quoted him in French.
He also said the number of ministries the party receives is not what matters. He favoured a smaller cabinet, Le360 and Hespress reported.
How the Coalition Math Adds Up
Morocco voted for its 395-seat House of Representatives on Wednesday, 23 September. The final results, confirmed by the Interior Ministry, put the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) first with 97 seats.
The National Rally of Independents (RNI), the party of outgoing prime minister Aziz Akhannouch, fell to 66 seats. The conservative Istiqlal party won 65 and the Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) 54.
The Popular Movement took 29 seats, the Socialist Union 26 and the Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS) 19. Turnout was about 38%, down from 50.86% in 2021, Le Matin reported, citing the Interior Ministry.
Le360 reported that El Mansouri wants a majority modelled on the old Koutla, a historic bloc of nationalist and left parties. That would mean the PAM, Istiqlal, the Socialist Union and the PPS.
Those four parties hold 207 seats together, a clear majority. Without the PPS, the PAM, Istiqlal and the Socialist Union would hold 188 seats, ten short of 198.
The PPS has formed a joint parliamentary group with two small parties, according to Le360. The Constitutional Union and the Democratic and Social Movement are expected to back the government without joining it, Le360 added.
Who the Players Are
The Socialist Union is a historic centre-left party that led Morocco’s government from 1998 under Abderrahmane Youssoufi. Lachgar has been its first secretary since 2012.
The PAM is a centrist party that won the September vote and leads the talks. El Mansouri, a PAM leader, was received by King Mohammed VI and named head of government on Tuesday, 29 September.
Istiqlal, led by Nizar Baraka, is a conservative nationalist party and the oldest in the country. The PPS, led by Nabil Benabdallah, grew out of Morocco’s former communist party.
Under Morocco’s 2011 constitution, the king appoints the head of government from the party that wins most seats. The cabinet then needs a confidence vote in the House of Representatives.
What It Means for US Readers
Morocco is a major non-NATO ally of the United States and has had a free trade agreement with Washington since 2006. A coalition with a firm majority makes policy on trade, security and migration easier to predict.
For investors, the new cabinet will set public investment and energy policy. It will also steer projects for the 2030 World Cup, which Morocco co-hosts.
This week the US Department of Agriculture picked Morocco for a five-year food safety and livestock programme. It is worth up to US$33.1 million, Le Matin reported, citing the US Embassy.
The programme is funded by selling 33,000 tonnes of US soybean meal and wheat, according to Le Matin. Who becomes agriculture minister will matter for that cooperation.
The Socialist Union’s priorities, including strategic security and jobs, suggest no break in Morocco’s pro-Western foreign policy. Foreign and defence policy remain largely in the hands of the king.
What Prediction Markets Say
On Polymarket, bets on Morocco’s next invested prime minister gave El Mansouri a 94.4% implied chance. That price was taken on Sunday, 11 October, at 1:47 a.m. ET, with about US$34,100 traded across the market.
A separate Polymarket market on Akhannouch leaving office by 31 December stood at 87%. That market has traded about US$172,000.
Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.
What Is Not Known
The council’s statement, as reported, did not say which ministries the Socialist Union will seek. It also did not name a deadline for the talks.
It is not confirmed whether the PPS will join the cabinet or only vote for it. The size of the new government and the date of the confidence vote have not been announced.
Le360 reported a denial by Lachgar of a revolt by the party’s office in Salé. No independent account of internal dissent was available.
What Comes Next
Lachgar will now negotiate with El Mansouri on the programme and on portfolios. Once a cabinet list is agreed, the king appoints the ministers and the government seeks a confidence vote.
The vote does not yet make the Socialist Union a member of the government. It only gives Lachgar a mandate to negotiate its terms.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Socialist Union of Popular Forces?
It is a historic centre-left party in Morocco, led by First Secretary Driss Lachgar. It won 26 of the 395 seats in the House of Representatives on 23 September.
Who is Morocco’s new prime minister?
King Mohammed VI named Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri of the Authenticity and Modernity Party as head of government on 29 September. She must now form a cabinet and win a confidence vote.
Does the new coalition have a majority yet?
Not yet on paper: the PAM, Istiqlal and the Socialist Union hold 188 seats. A fourth partner such as the PPS, with 19 seats, would lift that above the 198 needed.
Why does this matter to the United States?
Morocco is a major non-NATO ally with a free trade agreement with the United States. A stable new government shapes trade, security and migration cooperation.
When will the new government be announced?
No date has been given. Talks between El Mansouri and party leaders were still under way on Saturday, according to Le360.
Sources: Hespress, Socialist Union national council decision; Le360, Lachgar statements; Le Matin, final election results; Le360, El Mansouri government live coverage; Le Matin, USDA Food for Progress grant (all accessed 11 October 2026).
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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