12 Moroccan Ministers to vacate Parliamentary seats under incompatibility rule

Twelve members of Morocco’s new government will have to give up their parliamentary seats after being appointed ministers, as Moroccan law prohibits members of the House of Representatives from simultaneously serving in government.

Article 27 of the House of Representatives’ internal rules stipulates that membership in the lower house is incompatible with holding a government position.

The seats vacated by the newly appointed ministers will go to the next eligible candidates on their respective electoral lists, in accordance with Article 90 of Organic Law No. 27-11 governing the House of Representatives.

The same procedure was followed in 2024, when five lawmakers joined the government of then-Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch following a cabinet reshuffle. The Constitutional Court declared their seats vacant and called on the next candidates on the relevant electoral lists to replace them.

PAM ministers among those affected

Among the ministers affected are several members of the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM).

Head of Government Fatima Zahra El Mansouri won a seat in the Sidi Youssef Ben Ali constituency with 12,775 votes. Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi secured 17,595 votes in the Taroudant North constituency in the Souss-Massa region.

Youth, Culture and Sports Minister Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid won a seat in Rabat-Ocean with 12,228 votes, while Family, Social Development and Equality Minister Najwa Koukous secured 6,269 votes in Casablanca-Anfa.

Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation Minister Azzedine El Midaoui also won a seat in the Rhamna constituency in the Marrakech-Safi region, receiving 17,062 votes.

Istiqlal ministers also to vacate seats

Several members of the Istiqlal Party are also affected by the incompatibility rule.

Equipment, Water and Forests Minister Nizar Baraka won a seat in Larache with 14,090 votes, while Transport and Logistics Minister Abdessamad Kayouh secured 25,433 votes in the Taroudant South constituency.

Industry, Trade, Investment and Economic Integration Minister Ryad Mezzour, who received 7,486 votes in Benslimane, will also vacate his seat.

The same applies to Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade Omar Hejira, who won 5,753 votes in Oujda-Angad, and Minister Delegate for Vocational Training and Qualification Madiha Khayr, elected in Beni Mellal with 21,384 votes.

PPS and USFP representatives affected

The Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS) is represented among the affected ministers by Rachid Hamouni, minister-delegate in charge of social inclusion, who won 7,815 votes in Boulemane.

The Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP) is also affected, with Employment and Social Dialogue Minister Abderrahim Chahid having won a seat in Zagora with 15,720 votes.

The parliamentary seats will be filled through the legal succession procedure, allowing the next eligible candidates on the relevant lists to enter the House of Representatives while the newly appointed ministers take up their government responsibilities.

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