Morocco’s official campaign for its September 23 legislative elections opened at midnight, launching a 13-day sprint in which 27 parties will compete for 395 seats in the House of Representatives.
More than 15.8 million Moroccans are registered to vote, split 54% male and 46% female, with urban voters making up 55% of the electorate against 45% rural. The three leading parties from 2021, the National Rally of Independents, the Authenticity and Modernity Party, and Istiqlal, are seeking to maintain or expand their influence, while the once-dominant Justice and Development Party attempts a recovery after collapsing from 125 seats to just 13 in the last vote.
The race unfolds against a backdrop of deep youth disengagement. An Afrobarometer survey found only about a third of Moroccans aged 18 to 35 place much trust in parliament, local councils or political parties. The GenZ212 protest movement, which drew large crowds demanding better health care, education and jobs last year, marks its first anniversary just four days after voting closes.
Analysts say the campaign has so far lacked substantive ideological competition, with parties making costly spending promises while offering vague explanations of how they would be financed, a pattern critics say fuels the same public distrust that drove last year’s protests.
Source: Morocco World News
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