Heraldo de Madrid - Morocco elects new parliament with lowest turnout in nearly two decades

Nearly 16 million people were registered to vote, with many voicing frustrations about unemployment and inequality ahead of the polls.

The election came less than two months after a mass migration crisis when tens of thousands of mainly young Moroccans rushed into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta.

Only about four percent of registered voters were aged 18 to 24. In September 2025, a Gen-Z protest movement took to the streets in Morocco to demand better health and education.

Wednesday's turnout fell short of 2021's 50 percent, and was the lowest since 2007 when the figure was 36.8 percent.

"I'm not going to vote because I have lost all faith in the political class," Majda Bakatir told AFP in Rabat.

"We want our country to move forward, but politicians do not seem to care about our problems regarding healthcare, education, and purchasing power," added the 59-year-old woman.

But others, like 55-year-old Karim Ennaciri, did vote in the hopes that the election would bring about change.

"This will allow us to see if there's a renewal within the parties," he said.

In spite of the downbeat voter sentiment, the kingdom has posted economic growth and is ramping up major infrastructure projects as it prepares to co-host the 2030 World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal.

But that may have also contributed to the disillusionment, as the "World Cup bid comes at a high cost", wrote Arab Reform Initiative researcher Lamia Elfehaim.

Elfehaim said that Morocco's sporting investments were viewed by some "as out of step with the kingdom's socio-territorial priorities: failing public services, rural isolation... and high unemployment".

- RNI vs. PAM -

Morocco's prime minister is appointed by the king from the party that wins the most seats. The premier then forms a government for a five-year term, but the monarch retains control of major policy decisions.

Opinion polls are banned under Morocco's electoral law, but observers put the National Rally of Independents (RNI) -- currently heading the governing coalition -- among the favourites.

Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch led his party's campaign, although he has stepped down as head of the RNI, which will exclude him from heading the next government if his party wins the most seats.

"We have done quite important work within the government," he said at a recent rally.

"We carried out reforms in education and health, we increased salaries... we were there when (Moroccans) needed us."

The wealthy businessman has nevertheless faced repeated accusations of conflicts of interest involving his company Afriquia, Morocco's leading fuel distributor.

Akhannouch also faced widespread calls for his resignation during the youth-led Gen Z protests.

The RNI's main rival is the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM). The two centre-right parties are ideologically close and were founded by figures with ties to the royal palace.

- 'Added value' -

The PAM has recruited a popular figure, Budget Minister Fouzi Lekjaa, better known for his role as head of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation.

"We want to make young people a force capable of bringing added value rather than being left behind," Lekjaa recently said, pledging higher wages and better purchasing power.

The PAM has also been hit by a corruption scandal. In June, a court sentenced two of its senior figures to 10 and 12 years in prison respectively in a major drug-trafficking case involving a kingpin dubbed the "Escobar of the Sahara".

Also in contention is Istiqlal, a right-wing party led by equipment minister Nizar Baraka, with a campaign focused on social issues.

And the Islamist opposition's Justice and Development Party has centred its campaign on fighting corruption.

I.Ponce--HdM