Women’s regional list in Rabat-Salé-Kénitra: parties reshuffle ahead of 2026 vote

This update focuses on Rabat-Salé-Kénitra elections. The race for the women’s regional list in Rabat-Salé-Kénitra is opening on a fragmented and highly competitive political landscape ahead of the 23 September 2026 legislative elections.

Rabat-Salé-Kénitra elections shaped by the 2021 results

In the 8 September 2021 vote, the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region produced a rare balance. On the ten seats reserved for the women’s regional list, the National Rally of Independents (RNI) was the only party to secure two MPs.

Eight other parties shared the remaining seats, with one each: Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), Istiqlal, Constitutional Union, Popular Movement, Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP), Justice and Development Party (PJD), Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS) and the Democratic and Social Movement.

This fragmentation makes the 2026 ballot particularly sensitive. Every vote can tip the balance between keeping or losing a seat. For voters from the region now living abroad, these fragile majorities will shape which female MPs can carry their priorities in Parliament, from public services and social justice to the relationship with Moroccans living overseas.

New female leading candidates for the parties

Five years later, most parties have chosen to move on from 2021 by changing the women who head their lists. The Rabat-Salé-Kénitra elections are becoming a test of renewal and internal repositioning.

At the RNI, the regional list will now be led by Iâtimad Zahidi. A former PJD MP, she joined the RNI and has become one of its key figures in the region. Elected in 2021 as president of the Skhirat-Témara Prefectural Council, she brings strong local government experience.

For the RNI, the goal is twofold: defend its two seats and confirm its foothold in a strategic region that hosts many central administrations and investment projects followed closely by Moroccans living abroad.

PAM has chosen Leïla Bilgha to succeed Latifa Lablilh. The party is banking on this new profile to defend a seat seen as within reach and, if possible, expand its influence. The main challenge will be to mobilise a scattered electorate in a context of intense competition.

At Istiqlal, the leadership selected Rahma Taybi Ouzzani to take over from Khadija Zoumi, who won in 2021. The party of the scales aims to capitalise on its electoral legacy while projecting a controlled image of change.

A struggle to keep seats rather than conquer new ground

In this region, the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra elections look less like a contest for first place and more like a battle for political survival. For many parties, the top priority is to keep a foothold in the lower house.

Others are trying to take advantage of the fragmented vote to knock a rival out of the limited circle of ten MPs. Each list is working to consolidate local strongholds, activate grassroots and associative networks and convince undecided voters.

For Moroccans from the region who now live in Europe, North America or the Gulf, the final composition of this women’s list will weigh on several issues they monitor from abroad:

• performance of local administrations and courts in their home provinces;
• conditions for investment and business creation for a potential return or project back home;
• quality of infrastructure, transport and urban services in their hometowns;
• attention to binational families and children navigating schools and systems on both sides.

Women elected through the regional list can influence these concrete issues through parliamentary questions, draft laws and committee work. This makes it essential for voters from the region, including those following the campaign from abroad, to understand the profiles and priorities of the candidates.

A vote to watch closely from abroad

As 23 September 2026 approaches, parties are sharpening their messages on equality, women’s employment, education and social protection. These are all themes that also matter to families who divide their lives between Morocco and their country of residence.

To track developments in the this case, Moroccans abroad can rely on official sources, including the official portal for Moroccans living abroad, as well as Canal212’s practical guides on administrative steps for a temporary or permanent return.

The struggle for the ten women’s seats in Rabat-Salé-Kénitra will say a lot about the parties’ ability to renew themselves and give stronger national influence to female elected officials rooted in local realities.

For more context, readers can follow Canal212 news for Moroccans abroad.