SIDI MOUSSA EL MAJDOUB, Morocco — Candidates seeking to energize disillusioned young voters turned to an unlikely campaign venue ahead of Morocco’s parliamentary elections Wednesday: a rural funeral for an elderly woman.
Difficulty finding work and opportunities has fueled Gen Z-led protests across Morocco and driven a surge of young Moroccans toward Spain’s enclave of Ceuta. Candidate Yassine Moujane says addressing youth concerns must be central to Wednesday’s campaign.
“I used to plead for my clients in court, and now, the time has come to plead for Moroccans in parliament,” Moujane told The Associated Press in Sidi Moussa El Majdoub, roughly 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the capital, Rabat. “Young people can do politics.”
The 28-year-old lawyer traveled to Sidi Moussa El Majdoub, the hometown of another candidate on his party list, for the funeral last week. The candidates offered condolences, heard residents’ complaints and discreetly sought their support.
While some mourners welcomed the candidates’ promises and attention, others remained doubtful.
Moujane is one of the youngest contenders in the election. He is running with the pro-establishment Democratic and Social Movement and is the father of two young children.
Voters will choose among 7,288 candidates from 27 political parties for 395 seats in the House of Representatives. The party winning the most seats is expected to provide the next prime minister.
The election marks the first national vote since deadly youth-led demonstrations nearly a year ago and a mass effort by Moroccans to cross into the Spanish territory of Ceuta.
Among the dozens of people who died trying to reach Ceuta were a factory worker seeking better pay to cover his mother’s medical expenses, a struggling soccer player and a high school student hoping for a brighter future, according to Associated Press interviews with their families and friends.
The incoming government will operate under intense international scrutiny as Morocco prepares to co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup and oversee billions of dollars in infrastructure and development projects.
Its immediate domestic priorities include curbing inflation and unemployment and demonstrating that Morocco’s economic growth can produce higher wages and better public services for its people.
The country has built a substantial automotive and aerospace manufacturing base, expanded its high-speed rail system and established Tanger Med as a leading global container port.
The World Bank expects Morocco’s gross domestic product to grow 4.2% this year, but officials and young jobseekers say the expansion has not created enough employment.
The disconnect is especially pronounced among younger Moroccans. Official figures put overall unemployment at 13% in 2025, compared with 37% among people aged 15 to 24 and 19% among university graduates.
“Politicians don’t care about us. They only care about their own interests,” said Yassine Hasnaoui, a 28-year-old unemployed resident of Sidi Moussa El Majdoub. “They come from higher social classes than us.”
People aged 18 to 24 make up about 12% of Morocco’s population but only 4% of its 15.8 million registered voters. Turning 18 does not automatically register citizens to vote; they must enroll themselves.
For the young Moroccans interviewed by The Associated Press, anger centers less on political ideology than on daily realities such as securing employment, affording a dignified life and accessing reliable schools, hospitals and infrastructure. Migrants in Ceuta and Gen Z protesters have voiced similar grievances.
Hassan Challaoui, a 32-year-old boilermaker from the village, wants a school bus for children in his rural community. He said they currently walk about 10 kilometers (6 miles) each day to reach school, regardless of sun, rain or cold.
Challaoui has watched the same political figures retain influence for years. “People didn’t change, but we want change,” he said.
Morocco is a constitutional monarchy in which King Mohammed VI retains wide authority over foreign policy, national security and other strategic matters. The constitution also empowers him to appoint the head of government from the party that wins the most parliamentary seats.
“Political power remains highly centralized in the monarchy, and parties are widely perceived by youth as unresponsive,” said Steven Höfner, head of the Rabat office for the German think tank Konrad Adenauer Stiftung.
“As a result, many young people neither vote nor participate in political parties, often citing limited political knowledge, disinterest and poor communication from political elites.”
Nevertheless, some young Moroccans believe voting can still influence decisions on issues such as minimum wages, public-sector hiring and family law.
When Gen Z-led protests spread across Morocco last year, demonstrators targeted the government and political parties they blamed for failing to improve health care and education, rather than the royal palace.
They urged the king to lead reforms and regarded the monarchy as a symbol of stability. That approach differed from the Arab Spring protests of the 2010s, when many activists demanded limits on royal authority and a more powerful parliament.
Moujane said he volunteered to represent protesters arrested during the demonstrations.
“They had the same demands that we plan to address in our party platform: better schools, hospitals, housing and a better environment,” Moujane said. “They are valid claims.”
Winning his party’s nomination proved difficult. With little experience and few connections in political circles, Moujane said he made constant phone calls to persuade skeptical party leaders.
Now, with a modest campaign budget, he is trying to enter a parliament where lawmakers have a median age of 53.
