Casablanca – The Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) enters Morocco’s September 23, 2026 parliamentary elections with a very different political profile from the one it had when it was created nearly two decades ago. Established in 2008 as a force intended to reshape the country’s political balance and counter the growing influence of the Justice and Development Party (PJD), the PAM gradually moved from confrontation and opposition toward participation in government. After finishing second in the 2021 elections with 87 seats, it joined the coalition led by the National Rally of Independents (RNI). 

Five years later, the PAM is seeking a new breakthrough. The party is campaigning to finish first in the September 23 vote and position itself to lead the next government. The arrival of Fawzi Lekjaa, one of Morocco’s most recognizable public figures, has added a new dimension to that ambition. His entry into the party has increased attention around the PAM and generated speculation about the possibility of a new political configuration after the elections. 

The PAM’s origins date back to 2008, when Fouad Ali El Himma, currently the Senior Advisor to King Mohammed VI, launched the Movement for All Democrats. The initiative brought together business figures, local notables and former activists from Morocco’s left-wing movements. The project eventually developed into a political party in August of that year following the merger of five political formations. 

From its beginning, the PAM was associated with an effort to alter the balance of political forces. The party quickly demonstrated its electoral potential. In the 2009 local elections, less than a year after its creation, it secured more than 21% of the seats and established a strong presence among local political networks. 

The political environment changed after the 2011 protests and the adoption of a new Constitution. The PJD won the parliamentary elections, while the PAM finished fourth and moved into opposition. During the following decade, the party increasingly defined itself through its confrontation with the PJD. 

Under Ilyas El Omari, who became secretary-general in 2016, the PAM maintained a strongly adversarial position toward the PJD. Its parliamentary representation increased to 102 seats in the 2016 elections, but the party remained outside government. Internal disputes subsequently weakened the organization, culminating in a major leadership crisis in 2019. 

The arrival of Abdellatif Ouahbi as party leader in February 2020 marked a significant change. The new leadership placed greater emphasis on electoral pragmatism and local political networks while reducing the intensity of the party’s ideological confrontation with the PJD. 

That strategy became particularly important ahead of the 2021 elections. The PAM turned its attention toward the RNI and its leader, Aziz Akhannouch, as the competition for local political networks intensified. Yet the election results rapidly changed the relationship between the two parties. 

The PJD suffered a dramatic defeat, falling to 13 seats, while the RNI emerged as the largest party. The PAM retained second place with 87 seats. Rather than continuing in opposition, the party chose to join the government coalition formed by the RNI and Istiqlal Party. 

The move represented a major change in the PAM’s political trajectory. Abdellatif Ouahbi became minister of Justice, while Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri took responsibility for housing and urban planning and Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid was appointed minister responsible for youth, culture and communication. 

The party subsequently moved further toward a collective leadership structure. In 2024, Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri became the leading figure in a collective leadership arrangement designed to strengthen internal stability and reduce dependence on a single party leader. 

The arrival of Fawzi Lekjaa in 2026 has introduced another major element into this evolution. Lekjaa formally joined the PAM in July, after years as a senior public official and sports administrator. He has served as minister delegate for the budget since 2021 and has been president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation since 2014. He has also gained international visibility through his role in football governance, including his membership of the FIFA Council. 

His public profile is considerably broader than that of most party figures. His leadership of Moroccan football has coincided with the national team’s historic run to the 2022 World Cup semifinals and Morocco’s preparations to co-host the 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal. This has made him particularly well known outside conventional political circles. 

His decision to join the PAM therefore carries significance beyond the addition of another senior politician. Lekjaa enters the party with experience in public administration, budget policy, international sports institutions and large-scale infrastructure planning. His profile also gives the PAM access to a figure whose public recognition extends well beyond the party’s traditional political base. 

The move has fuelled speculation that Lekjaa could play a major role in the political leadership that emerges after September 23. Some reports have gone further, presenting him as a possible contender for the position of head of government if the PAM wins the largest number of seats. Lekjaa himself, however, has avoided confirming such an ambition and has said that his immediate mission is linked to the September 23 election, leaving any subsequent political decisions to the post-election period. 

For the PAM, the importance of Lekjaa therefore lies as much in his ability to reinforce the party’s electoral campaign as in any possible future government role. His arrival has given the party a figure with visibility in areas extending from public finance to sport and international relations. He has also become one of the most prominent faces of the PAM’s campaign, attracting considerable attention at a time when the party is attempting to overtake the RNI and emerge as the largest political force in the next parliament. 

The electoral objective is significant. Morocco’s September 23 elections will determine all 395 seats in the House of Representatives. Under the constitutional system, the head of government is appointed from the political party that wins the largest number of seats. This makes the race for first place particularly important for parties seeking to lead the next governing coalition. 

For the PAM, the campaign is consequently about more than maintaining its position as the second-largest party. Its stated ambition is to win the election and lead the next government, reversing the hierarchy established in 2021. 

That objective places the party in direct competition with the RNI, which has led the government since 2021, as well as Istiqlal and other established political forces. The PAM can draw on its existing parliamentary presence, local networks and experience in government, while Lekjaa provides an additional source of public visibility at a crucial moment. 

The party’s trajectory since 2008 therefore illustrates a broader transformation. It began as a political project designed to disrupt the existing balance of forces, became a major opposition party, and eventually entered government as a coalition partner. In 2026, it is attempting to take another step by moving from participation in government to leadership of the executive. 

Whether that ambition succeeds will depend on the September 23 vote and the ability of the PAM to translate its political networks, government experience and the visibility generated by Lekjaa’s arrival into parliamentary seats. For now, his entry has given the party one of the most closely watched figures in Morocco’s electoral campaign and added a new dimension to the contest over who will lead the country’s next government.