Morocco Votes Amid Youth Unrest, Migration Pressures and Demands for Economic Change

CASABLANCA, Morocco — Moroccans are casting their ballots with jobs, higher wages, reduced inequality and improved housing, schools, hospitals and infrastructure at the forefront of their concerns.

Those issues are central as voters head to the polls Wednesday to choose a new parliament.

The incoming government will oversee billions of dollars in investment as Morocco prepares to co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup. The scale of the project has led some to call it the “World Cup government,” and speculation has even raised the possibility of a prominent football official becoming prime minister.

The country’s new political leaders will face pressure to deliver on everyday concerns while operating within a political system in which the monarchy retains final authority over strategic affairs.

The election is Morocco’s first parliamentary vote since deadly, youth-led Gen Z protests erupted nearly a year ago and a mass attempt to cross into Spain’s enclave of Ceuta resulted in dozens of deaths this summer.

Morocco’s economy has been expanding, drawing foreign investment and developing new industries. The country has also become Africa’s most-visited destination.

The kingdom remains a close ally of the United States and maintains strong relationships with Western governments. It is also among the small group of Arab countries that recognize Israel diplomatically.

Behind the country’s historic palaces, scenic coastlines and dramatic mountains is a more complicated picture. Development remains uneven, growth has not generated sufficient employment and 12.7% of Moroccans live in relative poverty.

Political parties say they have recognized these grievances and outlined responses in their election platforms. Many young Moroccans, however, remain skeptical after hearing similar commitments in previous campaigns.

A total of 7,288 candidates from 27 parties are competing for all 395 seats in parliament.

The ruling National Rally of Independents, or RNI, has promised a guaranteed monthly minimum wage of 5,000 dirhams, or about $525, and the creation of one million jobs.

Another ruling coalition partner, the Party of Authenticity and Modernity, or PAM, has proposed exempting salaries below 15,000 dirhams, or about $1,575, from taxation. It has also pledged 100,000 housing options for young people.

The nationalist Istiqlal Party wants faster treatment in public hospitals. The left-wing Popular Democratic Socialist Party, or PPS, has promised to halve the school dropout rate and strengthen anti-corruption measures.

The moderate Islamist Justice and Society Party, or PJD, says it will reduce economic disparities between major commercial centers such as Casablanca and other regions.

Under Morocco’s constitution, the king must appoint the prime minister from the party that performs best in legislative elections.

No party is expected to win an absolute majority, requiring the leading party to form a coalition. Coalition partners typically divide most ministerial portfolios, but the royal palace traditionally retains control of defense and foreign affairs.

“The government’s overall policy platform is set by a circle of advisers close to the king, who retains ultimate power,” said Hamish Kinnear, a U.K.-based risk analyst specializing in North Africa and the Middle East.

The king has traditionally named the leader of the leading party as prime minister. Recently, however, attention has shifted to other possibilities, including Faouzi Lakjaa, president of Morocco’s football federation. Lakjaa recently joined PAM’s political bureau but does not hold the party’s top position.

Lakjaa, 56, also oversees Morocco’s budget and has gained prominence following the country’s recent football successes.

At a PAM rally last week, however, members chanted for a different candidate.

“We want a woman as prime minister,” many shouted, referring to Fatima-Zahra Mansouri, the 50-year-old mayor of Marrakech and minister of urban planning. If PAM wins and Mansouri is appointed, she would become Morocco’s first female prime minister.

Another possible contender is Nizar Baraka, the head of PI and the minister of water. The grandson of a leader in Morocco’s anti-colonial independence movement, Baraka is viewed by his supporters as a defender of Moroccan values.

Former Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane, the leader of the moderate Islamist PJD, is seeking a political comeback after the party’s dramatic loss in 2021, when its parliamentary representation fell from 125 seats to 13.

Young Moroccans are expressing particular frustration as the election approaches. Youth unemployment reached 37% in 2025, while 2.9 million people aged 15 to 29 were not in education, employment or training, according to government figures.

Some have responded by taking to the streets or attempting to leave Morocco rather than participating in conventional politics. Their discontent was evident during last year’s deadly Gen Z protests and the mass crossing attempt into Ceuta this summer.

Ayoub Lasli, a lifeguard from Casablanca, was among the young Moroccans who swam into the Spanish enclave in July in search of better employment opportunities.

Lasli has no intention of voting.

“I don’t care about politics and elections, and I don’t want to care,” he told The Associated Press.

Other participants in the crossing attempt, including 23-year-old Ayoub Belaidi, hold a more measured view of electoral politics.

“Following the Gen Z movement, if young people’s voices are truly heard, change will happen,” he said. “Voting needs to improve the lives of Morocco’s youth.”

Of Morocco’s 26.7 million voting-age citizens, 15.8 million are registered. Reaching the age of 18 does not automatically grant the right to vote; citizens must enroll on the electoral rolls, a bureaucratic step that prevents many from participating.

The number of registered voters has fallen 9.7% from the 2021 election despite population growth.

Although opinion polling is prohibited in Morocco, observers expect voter turnout to be low.

“Turnout is a key barometer of public engagement with the state,” Kinnear said.

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