Ahmed Touizi of the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) was elected president of Morocco’s House of Representatives with 220 votes, pledging to serve as an impartial institutional figure for both the majority and the opposition.
Touizi, a PAM deputy, secured the support of parties expected to form the new government majority – PAM, Istiqlal, the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP) and the Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS) – along with votes from other parliamentary groups.
His sole challenger, Driss Azami El Idrissi of the Justice and Development Party (PJD), received 59 votes.
Ninety ballots were declared null. Some observers suggested the null votes may have come from deputies of the National Rally of Independents (RNI) and the Popular Movement (MP), though their origin cannot be confirmed because the vote was secret.
In his first remarks after the election, Touizi expressed pride and gratitude for the confidence placed in him by his colleagues and stressed the heavy responsibilities of the post.