Morocco’s Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) has won the most seats in parliamentary elections, overtaking its partners in the outgoing government as turnout fell to its lowest level in nearly two decades.

Preliminary results announced by Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit on Thursday gave PAM 97 of the lower house’s 395 seats, up from 87 in 2021. The National Rally of Independents (RNI), which topped the previous election with 102 seats, fell to 66, narrowly ahead of the Istiqlal Party with 65.

Turnout in Wednesday’s vote was 38.02% of the nearly 15.8 million registered voters, according to official data, down from 50.35% in 2021 and the lowest since 2007.

The liberal-centrist PAM needs coalition partners to govern, but its leaders have ruled out another alliance with RNI. Outgoing Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch, a billionaire businessman whose government faced criticism over living costs and unemployment, did not contest the election. He announced his withdrawal in January, citing RNI’s two-term leadership limit and saying the party should choose his successor before the vote.

The vote drew allegations of irregularities in several constituencies. In the northern port city of Tangier, the Left Alliance, which won eight seats nationwide, alleged ballot stuffing and demanded a rerun. Prosecutors opened investigations after a man was arrested carrying ballots at a polling site in Tangier. PAM rejected allegations linking its candidates to the incident, calling them a “political conspiracy,” and backed an investigation.

Founded in 2008 by an adviser to King Mohammed VI, PAM positioned itself as a secular-leaning rival to the Islamist Justice and Development Party, which recovered to 54 seats from 13 in 2021.

The king appoints the prime minister from the party that wins the most seats but retains sweeping authority over defense, foreign affairs, and policy direction. Potential candidates include PAM leader Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri and Budget Minister Fouzi Lekjaa, who also heads Morocco’s football federation. El Mansouri would become the country’s first female prime minister if appointed.

PAM campaigned on promises of 1 million jobs and greater healthcare and social protection spending.

The election follows youth-led protests last year over unemployment, failing public services, and alleged vast spending on preparations for the 2030 World Cup, which Morocco will co-host with Spain and Portugal. At least three protesters were reportedly killed and more than 400 people arrested during the demonstrations, according to Amnesty International, which accused security forces of excessive force and arbitrary arrests.