Morocco suffered a new resounding diplomatic defeat during the Pan-African Parliament elections held in Midrand (South Africa) from April 28 to 30, 2026.
Despite its efforts to rally support from the North African region, Rabat was excluded from all strategic positions, while Algeria, Tunisia and Mauritania secured the main posts.
Algerian senator Fateh Boutbig was elected President of the Pan-African Parliament, cementing Morocco’s isolation within its own regional group.
The most striking setback for Rabat came during the vote on the regional candidacy for the presidency of the Pan-African Parliament, where Algeria secured 19 votes against only 4 for Morocco. According to diplomats present, this debacle triggered a hysterical reaction from the Moroccan delegation, led by Lahcen Haddad, who reportedly threatened African Union officials and attempted to challenge the credibility of the vote.
In what was described as a desperate move, Morocco asked the African Union Commission to accept Haddad’s candidacy for the presidency alongside that of Boutbig. The request was rejected during a plenary session on the grounds that it did not comply with regional endorsement rules.
Several accounts reported that the Moroccan delegation resorted to corrupt practices and bribery, sparking outrage among participants. For many observers, this latest setback illustrates Morocco’s growing isolation and its fixation on countering Algeria, at the expense of the principles of fair competition.
