Morocco Records 1,850 Candidate Lists for September 23 Legislative Elections

Casablanca – Morocco recorded 1,850 candidate lists and 7,288 candidates for the September 23, 2026 election of members of the House of Representatives, according to provisional figures from the Interior Ministry. The figures give a national average of more than 18 candidates for each seat.

The ministry said candidates submitted their declarations by the end of Wednesday, September 9. The campaign started early Thursday, September 10, and will end at midnight on Tuesday, September 22.

Women account for more than a third of candidates

Candidates submitted 1,615 lists for local electoral districts, bringing the number of candidates in those districts to 5,505. The 2021 election recorded 1,472 local lists and 5,046 candidates.

For the 12 regional electoral districts, which exclusively serve women, candidates submitted 235 lists with 1,783 candidates. That figure represents 20 candidates per seat, compared with 1,769 candidates in 2021.

Women account for 2,658 of all candidates, or 36.47%. They include 1,783 candidates in regional districts and 875 in local districts. Women head 121 of the lists submitted in local districts.

A total of 227 sitting members of Parliament also entered the election, including 204 male deputies, 20 female deputies, and three councillors.

Two independent lists, carrying five candidates, entered two local districts.

The PAM, Istiqlal, PPS, and PJD each submitted 92 local lists with 305 candidates and 12 regional lists with 90 female candidates. The RNI submitted 92 local lists with 305 candidates and 11 regional lists with 80 women. USFP submitted 90 local lists with about 301 candidates and 11 regional lists with 87 women.

The Movement Populaire submitted 86 local lists with 290 candidates and 12 regional lists with 90 women. The Alliance of the Left submitted 85 local lists with 284 candidates and 11 regional lists with 85 women. The Constitutional Union submitted 74 local lists with 256 candidates and 12 regional lists with 90 women.

The FFD submitted 68 local lists with 238 candidates and eight regional lists with 67 women. The MDS submitted 68 local lists with 234 candidates and 10 regional lists with 80 women. The Neo-Democrats submitted 58 local lists with 205 candidates and six regional lists with 50 women.

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The Party of Shura and Istiqlal submitted 56 local lists with 180 candidates and nine regional lists with 61 women. The UMD submitted 55 local lists with 197 candidates and 10 regional lists with 75 women. The PDN submitted 53 local lists with 183 candidates and eight regional lists with 61 women.

Meanwhile, the PML submitted 51 local lists with 179 candidates and nine regional lists with 68 women. The Moroccan Green Party submitted 50 local lists with 173 candidates and six regional lists with 49 women. The PLJS submitted 46 local lists with 156 candidates and 10 regional lists with 76 women.

The PCS submitted 46 local lists with 149 candidates and eight regional lists with 61 women. The Party of Equity submitted 40 local lists with 147 candidates and eight regional lists with 58 women. The PUD submitted 37 local lists with 133 candidates and four regional lists with 35 women.

In addition, Al Amal submitted 37 local lists with 131 candidates and five regional lists with 37 women. Annahda submitted 32 local lists with 118 candidates and three regional lists with 22 women. The Party of Action submitted 32 local lists with 115 candidates and nine regional lists with 73 women.

The PEDD submitted 31 local lists with 113 candidates and nine regional lists with 70 women. The PRD submitted 29 local lists with 102 candidates and four regional lists with 25 women. The PSD submitted 29 local lists with 91 candidates and four regional lists with 23 women.

Overall, 28 political parties took part in the election, including a coalition formed specifically for the vote. The Interior Ministry said citizens submitted a high number of candidacies compared with similar previous elections and that the filing process proceeded normally.