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Parliamentary elections in Morocco
On Thursday, the Moroccan Ministry of the Interior announced the provisional results of the parliamentary elections held the previous day. According to the results, the Parti Authenticité et Modernité (PAM) emerged as the largest party winning 97 of the 395 seats, thereby overtaking its former coalition partner, the Rassemblement National des Indépendants (RNI), which secured 66 seats and had previously led the governing coalition under Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch. The conservative Istiqlal Party secured 65 seats, whilst the Islamist-leaning Parti de la Justice et du Développement (PJD), which had won only 13 seats in the 2021 election, increased its tally to 54. In total, 14 of the 27 parties standing for election secured seats in parliament.
Voter turnout stood at around 38 per cent, significantly below the 50.86 per cent recorded in 2021. Young people were particularly under-represented on the electoral roll: only four per cent of registered voters were aged between 18 and 24, even though their concerns played a key role in shaping the election campaign. Among other things, the parties promised more jobs, higher wages and better healthcare and education. The RNI reaffirmed its pledge to create one million jobs by 2031, whilst the PAM also promised one million new jobs and measures to boost purchasing power. The Gen-Z protests in autumn 2025 had already highlighted just how pressing the issue of career and social prospects is for many young people in the North African Kingdom (Press Review CW 40/2026). The mass rush on the Spanish exclave of Ceuta in July 2026, during which numerous people seeking better living conditions attempted to storm the border fences and swim across the maritime border, also brought this discontent to the attention of several opposition parties. Among others, the Parti du Progrès et du Socialisme (PPS), which won 19 seats in the elections, described the incident as a warning sign of the shortcomings of previous policies. The normalisation of relations with Israel (Press Review CW 38/2026) was also a topic in the election campaign: the PJD, for example, which as the ruling party at the time had been forced to support the signing of the Abraham Accords in 2020, opposed cooperation with Israel and called for an end to normalisation in its election manifesto.
Meanwhile, experts also see the low turnout as a sign of dwindling confidence in political institutions and their ability to exert influence. Whilst the 2011 constitutional reform strengthened the role of the head of government and parliament, key powers remained with the King – including extensive powers in the formation of the government. Under Article 47 of the Moroccan Constitution, the King appoints the head of government from the party that won the most seats in the parliamentary election. Consequently, following its election victory, the PAM is initially set to play the central role in forming a government. Possible candidates for the post include Fouzi Lekjaa, State Secretary for the Budget and President of the Football Association, who had only joined the party leadership a few weeks before the election, and Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, Minister for Spatial Planning and Mayor of Marrakesh. The previous head of government, Aziz Akhannouch, had already stepped down as leader of the RNI before the election and did not stand for re-election. At the same time, the PAM leadership ruled out a renewed coalition with the RNI. As the PAM, with 97 out of 395 seats, is far from having a majority of its own, it must now negotiate with other parties on the composition of the future government.
South Sudan’s President swears in a caretaker government to prepare for elections
On Wednesday, South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir swore in a caretaker government to run the country until the first national elections since the country’s independence in 2011, scheduled for 22 December. A day earlier, the 75-year-old had issued a decree dissolving the Transitional Government of National Unity, the National Transitional Legislative Assembly and the governments and assemblies of all ten states. In addition, all five vice-presidents, including the suspended First Vice-President Riek Machar of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–In Opposition (SPLM-IO), who has been under house arrest since March last year (Press Review CW 38/2025), were dismissed from their posts. The five vice-presidential posts were part of the power-sharing structure agreed in the 2018 peace agreement.
Kiir, who is also chairman of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), will remain in office during the election period until the newly elected head of state takes office, and will continue to exercise his full constitutional powers in the meantime. This is based on the amendment to the Electoral Act passed on Monday, which also stipulates that the five vice-presidents must step down from their posts three months prior to the election. The Act also provides for a reduction in the size of the future National Assembly from the current 650 seats to 270 seats, and of the state assemblies from 100 to 58 members each. Back in early July, the National Transitional Legislative Assembly had already passed amendments to the 2018 peace agreement, which removed previous prerequisites for holding elections, including the finalisation of a permanent constitution and the conduct of a national census. These are now to be completed only after the election by a future elected government. Kiir subsequently signed a corresponding amendment to the transitional constitution in early September. On 15 September, Kiir also replaced the chair of the National Elections Commission, Abednego Akok Kacuol, with the Commission’s former secretary-general, Gabriel Bol Deng Majok. The government did not give a reason for the replacement.
The South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA), a coalition of opposition parties and armed groups, firmly rejected the amendments to the peace agreement, the transitional constitution and the electoral law, stating that they had been made without proper consultation with the signatories to the agreement. The SPLM-IO, led by Machar, announced on Thursday that it intended to boycott the planned elections. Meanwhile, the human rights organisation Amnesty International described the dissolution of the previous transitional government as an important step towards the first elections, but at the same time called on the government to create the conditions for free political participation.
South Sudan has not held any national elections since gaining independence from Sudan in 2011. The first elections were scheduled for 2015 but were postponed following the outbreak of the civil war in 2013. Since then, the election date has been postponed five times, most recently to 22 December 2026. The government says it is sticking to this date. According to media reports, voter registration which was supposed to start no later than 90 days to the election date has not yet begun, with just under 90 days to go before the election date. International observers also fear that elections without adequate political and security safeguards could fuel a renewed conflict.
Special news: Armed clashes in Ethiopia are expanding
On Wednesday, forces of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) took control of Mekelle Airport in the northern Ethiopian region of Tigray, according to various international media reports. At the same time, fighting broke out between the TPLF and Ethiopian government troops, which also spread to the neighbouring regions of Afar and Amhara. According to reports, the airports in Shire and Axum are also said to be under TPLF control. Ethiopian Airlines subsequently suspended flights to all three airports. As early as Sunday, seven opposition and armed groups from various parts of the country had announced the formation of the ‘Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Coalition for Survival’ (locally also known as Tsimdo). In addition to the TPLF, the alliance includes the Amhara Fano National Movement, whose forces supported the federal government in its fight against the TPLF during the civil war (2020–2022). The Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) is also part of the alliance. According to the alliance’s own statements, their shared aim is to overthrow the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and establish a transitional government. Armed clashes broke out in Tigray at the beginning of August (Press Review CW 32/2026). Both sides accuse each other of having violated the Pretoria Peace Agreement of November 2022.
In other news
Ghanaian media reported this week on the launch of four new learning kits by the educational technology company STEMAIDE Africa, which are designed to strengthen practical training in STEM subjects. The newly introduced products – Coder Pro, Rover, Aider and Pilot – are designed to teach practical skills in the fields of programming, robotics, artificial intelligence and aviation at schools and universities. The kits are designed as hands-on learning systems that provide opportunities to experiment and develop solutions to real-world challenges. STEMAIDE’s CEO, Prince Boateng Asare, explained that many young people have the necessary interest and talent but lack sufficient access to tools and resources to develop their skills in a practical way. At the launch in Accra, demonstrations included applications involving autonomous movement, sensors and flight mechanics. STEMAIDE was founded in 2022. According to the organisation, its educational programmes have since reached more than 25,000 learners across seven African countries; furthermore, more than 5,000 kits have been deployed and over 100 teachers have been trained.
Event notice
On 6 October 2026, the 5th Africa Economic Summit of the federal state of Baden-Württemberg will take place at Messe Stuttgart. The event, which has been organised biennially since 2018 by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Economic Affairs and a number of partner organisations in the state capital, brings together high-ranking representatives from business, politics and academia, with the aim of highlighting new perspectives for economic cooperation between Baden-Württemberg and the countries of the African continent. Through presentations, panel discussions and practical workshops, this year’s event will once again highlight the diverse potential in sectors such as the automotive industry, mechanical engineering, environmental technology, energy and finance. The German Africa Foundation will also be represented at the ‘Market of Opportunities’ this time – we look forward to seeing you there!