Morocco’s Popular Movement says election results signal demand for political change

Morocco’s Popular Movement said Thursday that the results of the country’s legislative elections reflected changes in voter preferences and a desire for political change, as the party secured 29 seats in the 395-member House of Representatives.

In an initial assessment of Wednesday’s election, the party said voters who went to the polls generally demonstrated a sense of responsibility and a desire to change the political landscape.

The Popular Movement said the results also reflected what it described as a form of “punitive voting,” pointing to the loss of nearly half the parliamentary representation of the party that had led the outgoing government coalition.

The party said the results should be examined not only in terms of the distribution of parliamentary seats, but also for what they indicated about voters’ relationship with political parties, their expectations of political activity and their response to the outgoing government’s record.

Official provisional results released by Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit showed the Popular Movement winning 29 seats, placing it fifth among the parties represented in the new House. The Authenticity and Modernity Party won 97 seats, followed by the National Rally of Independents with 66, the Istiqlal Party with 65 and the Justice and Development Party with 54.

The Popular Movement said losing some of its traditional strongholds while gaining new electoral bases required the party to draw lessons from the results and continue what it described as a new political and organizational dynamic.

It said this included developing its political messaging, communication methods and grassroots work ahead of the next legislative elections scheduled for 2031.

The party also called for a detailed analysis of the profiles of candidates who won voters’ confidence, including their professional backgrounds, qualifications, ability to communicate and capacity to respond to local concerns.

It said examining those factors alongside voter turnout, abstention and changes in the electoral map could help political actors and institutions better understand the reservations and doubts that remain among a segment of Moroccan voters toward political participation.

The Popular Movement said the challenge extended beyond managing the results of a single election to rebuilding confidence and convincing non-voters that their participation could influence political outcomes.

National turnout in Wednesday’s election stood at 38.08%, according to provisional figures from the Interior Ministry. Nearly 6 million voters took part in the election, which contested 395 seats.

The party said its future political work should focus on presenting alternatives it described as realistic, strengthening democratic accountability and responding to citizens’ expectations.

The post Morocco’s Popular Movement says election results signal demand for political change appeared first on HESPRESS English - Morocco News.