Former kick-boxing champion Mustapha Lakhsem was on course to trade the mayor’s office for a seat in Parliament early Thursday, after provisional results from Sefrou showed the MDS candidate polling more than 10,000 votes.
Lakhsem, who heads the Imouzzer Kandar commune and has built a sizeable following on social media, was comfortably ahead on the preliminary count, putting him in line for his first term in the House of Representatives.
He contested the September 23 election under the banner of the Democratic and Social Movement (MDS), led by Abdelkader Archane.
The result would take Lakhsem from local government to the national legislature, adding another turn to a career that began far from party politics.
Before entering local politics, Lakhsem made his name as a kickboxer. He later became mayor of Imouzzer Kandar and a familiar figure online.
His parliamentary seat, however, remained subject to confirmation of the final results.
Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit was due to hold a press conference at 1am to announce the provisional results of the legislative elections.
