Four Moroccan parties concluded a coalition agreement on Monday, 12 October, bringing together 207 seats out of 395, well above the 198 needed for an absolute majority, paving the way for the formation of a government led by Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri.
The alliance brings together the Authenticity and Modernity Party, which came first in the 23 September elections, Istiqlal, the Socialist Union of Popular Forces and the Party of Progress and Socialism. King Mohammed VI had tasked Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri with forming the executive on 29 September, a first for a woman in Morocco.
The agreement does not yet amount to the appointment of the cabinet. The partners must propose the holders of the portfolios and finalise their government programme. They have pledged to strengthen productive capacity, social justice and territorial equity, without detailing at this stage the budgetary trade-offs.
The next executive will oversee the final years of the infrastructure programme launched ahead of the 2030 World Cup, co-hosted with Spain and Portugal. The IMF puts connectivity and tourism investment planned between 2024 and 2030 at MAD 190.3 billion, or about $20 billion.
Rail accounts for the bulk of this envelope, with high-speed extensions and regional express networks, while airports are to be expanded in Casablanca and five other cities. These projects support construction and transport activity, but also increase financing needs and delivery-on-schedule requirements.
The coalition takes power under pressure from social demands on employment, education and health. The composition of the cabinet and the expected programme will show how much of the resources is allocated to public services relative to the infrastructure commitments already launched.