HIBAPRESS
The National Council of the Justice and Development Party (PJD) registered what it described as irregularities that marred several stages of the legislative elections of September 23, 2026, announcing its intention to pursue available legal procedures regarding them, while simultaneously calling for deep reform of the electoral system.
The party stated, in its final statement from its extraordinary session held on Saturday in Bouznika, that the irregularities it registered included the voting, counting, and results announcement stages, in addition to what it described as "the intensive use of money," considering that these practices constitute, in its estimation, a threat to the integrity of the electoral process and social stability and cohesion.
The statement also pointed to what it described as "disruption, confusion, and refusal" that characterized the process of submitting minutes in some constituencies, emphasizing that the party will proceed with constitutional appeals and complaints before the judiciary regarding the observed irregularities.
In the same context, the National Council called for a deep reform of the electoral system, including a fundamental review of the voter registration method, reducing the number of polling stations, revising the electoral quota, and adopting the threshold, in order to provide, according to the statement, appropriate participation conditions in the regional and local elections scheduled for next year, and to enable free, fair, and transparent elections that produce stable, strong, and credible elected institutions.
Regarding the election results, the party announced its achievement of 54 parliamentary seats according to the final results, considering that this more than quadrupled its parliamentary representation, and that the results showed the recovery of its presence in large and medium-sized cities, in addition to its achievement of what it described as "qualitative voting" in rural areas, which enabled it to win seats in predominantly rural constituencies.
The National Council considered that these results confirm, from its point of view, the party's position in the national political, party, and electoral landscape, and reflect the confidence it enjoys among citizens. It also considered them a transcendence of attempts to marginalize and exclude it, and an incentive to continue fieldwork and fulfill its constitutional roles towards the state and society.
In the opening session of the conference, the Chairman of the National Council and Head of the Central Elections Committee, Jamaa El Mouhtassem, presented a report on the party's management of the elections, from the nomination stage to the announcement of the results. Meanwhile, Secretary-General Abdelilah Benkirane renewed his congratulations to the party members and sympathizers on the achieved results and thanked the citizens who followed and voted in the electoral process.
Benkirane also considered that the results represent the outcome of the work of the party's various bodies and its political presence in raising public affairs issues, calling for them to be an incentive for more work and seriousness in preparation for future elections at the political, social, and economic levels. He also criticized citizens' abstention from voting, considering that non-participation is a "wrong" decision that does not serve the nation and citizens.
The National Council praised Benkirane's performance during the election campaign, particularly his tours across various cities and villages of the Kingdom to lead party festivals and campaign activities, expressing its pride in what it described as the popular response to those activities.
It also commended the performance of the party centrally and regionally, and through the members of its parliamentary group, noting what it considered a strong presence of the party in the parliamentary opposition, and what it said enabled it to raise issues related to corruption, including conflicts of interest and embezzlement of public funds, and the protection of the country's assets from depletion.
The National Council appreciated the efforts of the party's male and female activists, its candidates, and its various organizational bodies and parallel institutions, centrally, regionally, and locally. It also commended the support provided by partner organizations to the party.
It considered that one of the most prominent gains of the elections was the party's recovery of its militant dynamism and the renewal of mobilization among its members, calling for continued work and mobilization in anticipation of future electoral contests.
The party also saluted its male and female candidates who did not win parliamentary seats, considering them "victors and winners" given the efforts they exerted and what it described as their clean campaigns against "illicit money."
The National Council, on the other hand, expressed its "deep concern" over the voter turnout in the elections, which it described as the lowest since 2007, linking it to what it considered the devaluation of political and party work, and to the performance it described as weak and confused of the current government, in addition to the "intensive electoral transit" that preceded the elections among the majority parties.
The statement also referred to what it described as "scenarios that were marketed about the presidency of the government," considering them an "usurpation of popular will" and a "violation of the constitution," in addition to discussing electoral practices contrary to the law that it said characterized the work of some majority parties.
The National Council called for the restoration of citizens' trust in political and party work, in a way that strengthens national unity and rallying around the nation's constants.
Regarding the party's political and parliamentary position after the September 23 elections, the National Council unanimously approved the decision to align itself with the parliamentary opposition, based on the provisions of the party's bylaws, while affirming its continued fulfillment of its constitutional, political, and militant roles, defending national constants and the nation's causes, and advocating for the rights and expectations of citizens.
The decision came after the National Council's deliberation on the proposal submitted by the General Secretariat, which had decided, in an extraordinary meeting held on September 24, to call for an extraordinary session of the National Council to deliberate on the election results and make a decision regarding the party's political and parliamentary position.
