Morocco has moved into coalition-building. Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, named Head of Government by the King, opened consultations on Wednesday 30 September to allow the PAM to build a majority in the Chamber of Representatives. She first received an RNI delegation led by Mohamed Chaouki, then an Istiqlal delegation led by Nizar Baraka. The Mouvement populaire, the USFP and the PPS were due to follow.
Mehdi Bensaïd, a member of the PAM’s collegial leadership, told Médias24 that every party with a parliamentary group will be consulted. That includes the PJD, which has already chosen the opposition; El Mansouri has contacted Abdelilah Benkirane to propose a meeting. Discussions will also cover national issues affecting all parties, not only the makeup of the majority.
Afterwards, Bensaïd said, El Mansouri must report to the PAM’s political bureau on prospective partners’ positions and possible demands. Alliances must follow each party’s internal procedures, and within the PAM the national council has the final word. Bensaïd declined to reveal which scenarios are favored and urged patience, stressing that early meetings do not guarantee a coalition.
The RNI and Istiqlal both said they must consult internally before deciding on participation. Chaouki described the exchange as responsible, clear and frank, while Baraka said the question would go to his party’s national council and that, whatever the decision, Istiqlal would support the new experience with the PAM.
The calendar adds pressure. Bensaïd said the PAM intends to move as quickly as possible, noting that the finance bill must be tabled in the Chamber of Representatives by 20 October at the latest. He implied that talks cannot drag on as in 2021, when nearly a month passed between Aziz Akhannouch’s nomination and the naming of his government.
