Football fame helped decide a parliament vote as Morocco gears up for a $20 billion World Cup build.

Early results on Thursday, September 24 put the Authenticity and Modernity Party PAM on top with 97 seats in the 395 seat parliament, up from 87 in 2021. PAM got a late boost after recruiting Fouzi Lekjaa, Morocco football federation chief and two time budget manager widely credited with taking the national team to the semi finals in 2022 and driving 2030 World Cup infrastructure.

National Rally of Independents RNI came second on 66, Istiqlal on 65, while Islamist PJD bounced back to 54 from just 13, helped by ex prime minister Abdelilah Benkirane returning.

Turnout fell to about 38 percent from 50 percent, with only 15.8 million registered from 27 million of voting age.

This parliament will oversee the final stages of cohosting the 2030 World Cup with Portugal and Spain and must tackle youth discontent after a mass rush to Ceuta this summer and deadly Gen Z led protests last year over jobs and food prices. PAM promised $37 billion for 1 million jobs, healthcare, education and better wages.

Morocco is a constitutional monarchy where the king keeps key powers and picks the prime minister from the winning party. PAM was created in 2008 by a royal adviser to counter the PJD and backs social modernisation.

The king will now choose between Lekjaa and current PAM leader Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, who would be the second woman to lead a government in an Arab country after Tunisia Najla Bouden. RNI leader and outgoing prime minister Aziz Akhannouch is not standing again, as cbinews.tv notes.

#Morocco #MoroccoElections #PAM #RNI #PJD #FouziLekjaa #WorldCup2030 #CBINewsTV