[2] In response to the 2011 protests that occurred as part of the Arab Spring, King Mohammed VI announced a series of constitutional reforms, passed through a national referendum in July 2011.

[3] The reforms were described by the BBC as "expanding the powers of parliament and the prime minister but leaving the king with broad authority over the government".

[5] After the 2016 elections, protests continued to occur; in 2016 and 2017, a movement known as Hirak Rif demonstrated in the streets of northern Morocco against corruption and unemployment.

[7] The government claimed the bill was written "without prejudice to the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of digital communications", and shortly began arresting people for posting information it deemed to be false.

However, the reduction in cases came at a cost: by late July, the government's actions during the pandemic would be described as a "reversal of democratic reforms", with Parliament being "sidelined, its duties increasingly usurped by the Makhzen".

[13][14] In exchange, the Donald Trump administration announced that the United States would recognize Morocco's claim over Western Sahara.

[24][25][16][26] However, a high level of abstention was expected due to a loss of confidence in the institutions, with the government's sidelining of parliament leading to a lack of real issues at stake in the elections.

[29] The Justice and Development Party (PJD) of Prime Minister Saadeddine Othmani hoped to repeat for the third time in a row the lead in the vote that brought it to power in 2011.

The PJD trailed by two-thirds in the polls,[30] behind the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), led by Abdellatif Ouahbi, and known for its royalist stance in a country where public attachment to the monarch is already strong.

[30] The Istiqlal party (PI), led by Nizar Baraka, had come third in 2016 and proposed an economic development program that focuses on reducing inequalities while tackling environmental issues such as water resource management, biodiversity, and pollution.

[8] Meanwhile, some parties voiced opposition to the proposal, claiming it was a ploy by the incumbent government to prolong its control over the nation.

[25][16] The organization of the electoral campaign was under significant health restrictions, including a nighttime curfew and a ban on gatherings of more than 25 people and large political rallies.

The Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP) won 34; the Popular Movement (MP), 28; the Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS), 22; the Constitutional Union (UC), 18; the Democratic and Social Movement (MDS), 5; the Front of Democratic Forces (FFD), 3 and the Alliance of the Left Federation (FGD), 1.