Morocco’s Parliamentary Election: Youth Discontent, Football Campaigns, and Geopolitical Tensions Shape the Vote

Ahead of Wednesday’s parliamentary elections, political parties have courted disillusioned young voters with viral football slogans, promises of one million jobs, and anti-Israel rhetoric.

For many young Moroccans, politics remains deeply disconnected from their daily reality.

“I have no hope for this election. I am ashamed of our political scene; it is a complete circus,” says Siham Azeroual, a 32-year-old environmental activist based in the Atlas region.

The outcome of the vote will decide the makeup of the next government, coming just weeks after tens of thousands risked their lives to cross into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, highlighting the profound lack of opportunities many young people feel at home.

Morocco operates as a constitutional monarchy where political parties compete for 395 seats in the House of Representatives, the legislative chamber.

Yet executive power remains closely tied to the crown. King Mohammed VI, the 63-year-old monarch, appoints the prime minister from the political party that comes first in the election, but also presides over the Council of Ministers, the country’s most important policy-making body.

The current campaign also follows a wave of Gen Z protests that erupted in September over unemployment, healthcare, and living costs.

Demonstrators chanted slogans like “freedom, dignity, and social justice,” which escalated to calls of “get out Akhannouch,” targeting the current prime minister, Aziz Akhannouch.

More than 2,400 people faced prosecution following the unrest. Despite the crackdown, some young activists are choosing to enter the political arena.

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