Morocco’s political landscape moved a step closer to a new government on Saturday, as the National Council of the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP) voted to join the incoming coalition led by Fatima Zahra Mansouri, the country’s first woman prime minister-designate.
Gathered in Rabat to review the recent electoral cycle and chart the party’s path forward, USFP’s leadership formally endorsed participation in the government now being assembled by the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), which topped the House of Representatives elections. Mansouri, coordinator of PAM’s collective leadership, was tasked by King Mohammed VI with forming the next cabinet under Article 47 of the Constitution.
In its closing statement, the USFP National Council praised the King’s speech opening the twelfth legislature as a genuine roadmap for the years ahead, and argued that its own electoral platform, built around fair and balanced territorial development, aligns closely with the priorities set out by PAM and the other parties expected to join the governing majority.
The council handed First Secretary Driss Lachgar a mandate to negotiate directly with Mansouri over the shape and structure of the future cabinet, and to put forward the names USFP wants represented in government. Those candidates, the party says, will be chosen for their competence, integrity and demonstrated ability to deliver results for citizens.
USFP leaders also congratulated the party’s newly elected lawmakers, while stressing that candidates who fell short at the ballot box remain valuable to the organization going forward. The council called for a thorough review of irregularities reported during the campaign, insisted that accountability be established, and reserved the party’s right to challenge the results before the Constitutional Court through the legal channels available to it.
The USFP’s decision adds another building block to the broad coalition PAM is assembling around Mansouri. With several parties now signaling their willingness to join, attention is shifting to the substance of the talks: how ministries will be distributed, which policy priorities will anchor the government’s program, and how quickly an agreement can be reached. Morocco’s new executive is expected to take shape in the coming weeks, as negotiations over portfolios and the governing program move into their decisive phase.
