Rabat – The House of Representatives in Morocco’s Parliament voted in favor of Ahmed Touizi from the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) to become the chamber’s speaker.
220 parliamentarians voted in favor of Touizi out of 279 who voted.
Initially, 369 MPs voted, but 90 votes were canceled. Driss El Azami El Idrissi, the candidate from the Justice and Development Party (PJD) who ran for the same position, secured only 59 votes.
Touizi will now replace Rachid Talbi El Alami, who served as the speaker of the House in the Aziz Akhannouch government.
The election of the new speaker comes following Morocco’s legislative elections of September 23.
Morocco’s PAM secured 97 seats during the elections.
Following the elections, King Mohammed VI appointed Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as Morocco’s Head of Government. She has become the first-ever woman in Morocco to take on this position.
On Monday, El Mansouri reached an agreement to form a government majority comprising four political parties: PAM, the Istiqlal Party, the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP), and the Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS).
Ahead of the coalition announcement, El Mansouri held consultations to identify the parties that seek to participate in the government.
“These consultations addressed the various challenges and constraints facing the country, with the aim of forming a strong and cohesive political majority that understands the scale of the complex domestic challenges and multiple external constraints, and is capable of effectively responding to citizens’ expectations by ensuring decent living conditions, strengthening freedoms and rights, achieving social justice and territorial equity, and promoting economic prosperity,” the statement reads.
Earlier this week, PAM announced Touizi as the candidate for the presidency of the House of Representatives. He is the former president of PAM’s parliamentary group.
