Thirty-eight percent. That was turnout in Morocco’s parliamentary election, the lowest since 2007 and nearly 25 percent below the last vote in 2021. Midday figures had hinted at it: just over 11 percent had voted by then, a shade under the 12 percent recorded at the same point in 2021.
The registered electorate has also shrunk, by 9.7 percent since 2021, though the population has grown. Disenchantment with politics, notably among the young, is the obvious reading.
Wednesday’s ballot was the first since youth-led protests nearly a year earlier, and since the mass attempt by migrants to cross into the Spanish territory of Ceuta that left dozens dead. Voters chose 395 members of the House of Representatives from 7,288 candidates across 27 parties. Nobody expected a single party to win an outright majority, so the winner must bargain with others to form a government. The constitution requires the king to name the head of government from the party that takes the most seats, and the monarchy keeps broad authority over strategic affairs.
Vote or stay away
The mood was divided. Othmane Mouden, a Casablanca businessman in his late 30s, queued at a polling station and dismissed the street option. “Protesting like the Gen Z youth will not bring any change,” he said. “You can only claim your rights through the polls.”
Jamal Aamar, 63, a retired banker, voted for the Federation of the Democratic Left. His argument was practical: “If you boycott, you will leave others an empty seat.”
Not everyone agreed. The far-left Democratic Path called for a boycott, saying the election lacked “the minimum conditions of democracy.” The banned but tolerated Islamist association Al-Adl Wal Ihsane made similar claims. Abroad, the picture was no brighter. Moroccans living overseas cannot vote by mail or at consulates; they must travel home or authorize a registered relative or acquaintance to vote for them. In Madrid, some shrugged the whole thing off as having little impact.
Who might lead
Two names were floating around. Faouzi Lakjaa, president of Morocco’s soccer federation, recently joined the PAM party and has been lifted by the national team’s recent results. Fatima-Zahra Mansouri, 50, the mayor of Marrakech and minister of urban planning, would be the country’s first female prime minister.
The incoming government will oversee billions of dollars of investment ahead of the 2030 World Cup, which Morocco co-hosts, hence the nickname “World Cup government.” It also inherits demands over jobs, wages, the cost of living, schools, hospitals and housing. Bader Eabram, a 24-year-old caterer in Madrid, said football was driving some voters’ choices and giving them hope. “We’re all really eager to host the World Cup,” he said.
