Morocco's ruling coalition partners clash ahead of September elections

Morocco's governing coalition partners are publicly clashing before the official election campaign begins September 10, with a leaked audio recording exposing tensions between the RNI and PAM parties ahead of the September 23 parliamentary vote. The recording, attributed to House Speaker Rachid Talbi Alami, criticizes budget minister Fouzi Lekjaa and warns against him gaining the economy portfolio. Government head Aziz Akhannouch defended the discussion as normal political debate, while Lekjaa rejected pre-election division of government posts. About 15.8 million voters are registered, with 702 candidate lists submitted on the first nomination day. The ruling RNI, PAM, and Istiqlal parties compete for seats despite governing together, while opposition PJD seeks a comeback after falling to 13 seats in 2021.