Youth dilemma shapes Morocco's legislative elections less than three weeks away

Morocco is heading toward legislative elections on September 23 with the country’s youth at the center of the political debate. The issue has gained urgency after tens of thousands of young Moroccans left for Spain in late July and as the country approaches the first anniversary of protests by Generation Z, which authorities repressed.

Youth disengagement is also reflected in the electoral process. Morocco requires citizens to register on electoral lists managed by the Interior Ministry before they can vote. A delegation from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe criticized the low number of registered voters last Thursday, highlighting that young people make up no more than 3% of those on the lists.

The elections will choose all 395 members of the House of Representatives. Some 15.8 million voters are eligible in a country of 37 million people. In the current lower house, deputies under 35 represent only 8.3%, despite legislative efforts to increase their presence.

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The youth question is the greatest and most urgent issue of the next stage.

The governing Authenticity and Modernity Party, or PAM, places youth as its second priority among five campaign themes, behind purchasing power. It says it wants to bring young people into education, vocational training and decent employment. In its electoral program, the party calls the youth question "the greatest and most urgent issue of the next stage."

PAM cites a 29.2% unemployment rate among people aged 15 to 24 and says about 300,000 students leave school each year without qualifications. It acknowledges that the situation is creating "a growing feeling across an entire generation that the horizon is closed," expressed through declining trust and increased migration. The outgoing coalition of RNI, PAM and PI holds 269 seats, more than two-thirds of the lower house. The article says Morocco's strong macroeconomic indicators, including an economy that grew 4.6% last year and gross domestic product above $180 billion, have not translated into benefits for young people.

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A growing feeling across an entire generation that the horizon is closed.