Casablanca – The Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP) is preparing to review its performance after Morocco’s legislative elections, with party First Secretary Driss Lachgar acknowledging a decline in its results.
Speaking to the press following the announcement of the provisional results early Thursday, Lachgar said the party had recorded a weaker performance than in previous elections.
“There is no doubt that the party’s results in the legislative elections constitute a setback compared with the results we achieved previously,” Lachgar said.
He added that the party would address the outcome through its institutional structures rather than draw immediate conclusions from the preliminary figures.
Lachgar said the USFP leadership would meet in the coming days to examine the results and assess the party’s position in light of political developments expected to follow the election.
The USFP secured 26 seats in the 395-member House of Representatives, according to provisional results announced by Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit. The figure represents a decline from the party’s 2021 performance, when it won 34 seats.
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The result places the USFP sixth among the parties represented in the new House. The Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) came first with 97 seats, followed by the National Rally of Independents (RNI) with 66 and the Istiqlal Party with 65. The Justice and Development Party (PJD) followed with 54 seats, while the Popular Movement secured 29.
The election produced a significant reshuffling of parliamentary representation. The RNI, which had emerged as the largest party in the 2021 election with 102 seats, fell to 66, while Istiqlal dropped from 81 to 65. The PJD, meanwhile, made a major recovery after holding only 13 seats in the previous House, increasing its representation to 54.
The USFP’s decline comes against the backdrop of a broader reduction in voter participation. Turnout stood at 38.08% nationwide, according to provisional figures from the Interior Ministry, compared with 50.86% in the 2021 legislative elections and 42.27% in 2016. Nearly six million voters participated out of around 15.8 million registered voters.
The Socialist Union has been one of Morocco’s longstanding political parties, having played a prominent role in the country’s modern political history. Under Lachgar, who has served as its First Secretary since 2012, the party has continued to occupy a position within the parliamentary opposition.
Lachgar’s decision to leave the party’s next steps to its internal institutions means the USFP’s response will depend on the assessment to be conducted by its leadership in the coming days.
