Morocco PM El Mansouri Wins Confidence Vote 204-127

Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri's government won the confidence of Morocco's House of Representatives on Thursday for its governing program covering 2026-2031, at the end of a day of debate that was at times heated between majority and opposition groups. 204 lawmakers voted in favor of the program, against 127 who opposed it. El Mansouri is the first woman to head a government in Morocco's history, and her 32-minister cabinet now leads a coalition recently joined by the USFP and the PPS.

Majority parties back the program, demand concrete results

Speaking for the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), Hicham Sabiry defended the program's orientations, reminding fellow lawmakers that belonging to the majority does not exempt them from their oversight role. Rahal El Makkaoui, head of the Istiqlal group, reaffirmed his party's support while stressing the protection of purchasing power and the fight against corruption, welcoming commitments to raising social aid and pensions. Lahcen Lachgar, head of the USFP group, explained his party's move from opposition to the majority as driven by shared priorities on fighting corruption, institutional reform and social justice, arguing the 2027 finance bill would be the government's first real test. Ahmed El Abbadi, head of the PPS group, said his party's participation followed internal debate and commitments made by the Head of Government, calling for measures to restore young people's trust in state institutions.

Key pillars of the government program

The program bets on strengthening industrial sovereignty by speeding up import substitution and building local value chains in the automotive, aerospace, electronics and pharmaceutical sectors. On energy, it reaffirms the goal of raising renewable energy to 52% of installed electricity capacity by 2030, alongside continued dam construction and seawater desalination to shore up water and food security.

Opposition reservations and the 2027 budget test

Opposition groups, for their part, questioned several government choices, particularly financing guarantees for the program, employment targets, and the place given to certain campaign promises. El Mansouri responded to parliamentary groups before the vote, after which the House of Representatives settled the matter by granting confidence to the new government, which will face its first real parliamentary test with the review of the 2027 finance bill.