It’s officially on. As of midnight on Thursday, Morocco has entered full campaign mode — 27 political parties, 395 seats, and a whole lot of frustration on the streets.

If you thought this was going to be a sleepy, predictable race, think again.

Campaigning has kicked off for Morocco’s legislative elections.

The campaign runs from 10 September to midnight on 22 September, with voting day set for 23 September 2026.

Across the whole of Morocco — 92 local constituencies plus 12 national lists.

27 parties are in the running for the 395-seat House of Representatives, the lower house of parliament. Nearly 16 million Moroccans have registered to vote.

The incumbent? Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch and his three-party governing coalition. Together they have held a super-comfortable majority since 2021 — 270 out of 395 seats, well above the 198 needed to govern. Under Morocco’s 2011 Constitution, the King appoints the prime minister from the party that wins the most seats, who then forms a government for a five-year term.

How: It’s a proportional representation system. Of the 395 seats, 305 are fought for in local constituencies, and 90 come via national lists that must include at least one-third women.

The Human Angle — Why Are People Angry?

This is where it gets real.

On paper, Morocco has had steady growth, big infrastructure projects, and a reformist image. On the ground, many young Moroccans will tell you a different story.

Remember July? Tens of thousands of people — predominantly young Moroccans — tried to cross into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in one of the largest migrant rushes in recent years. It wasn’t just about Europe. It was a scream about jobs, or the lack of them.

Youth unemployment in Morocco hovers around 35-38% nationally, and much higher in some regions. Lagging economic development in the Rif, the Atlas, and the interior versus the Casablanca-Rabat-Tangier corridor has fuelled a deep sense of two-speed Morocco.

And yet, here’s the paradox: only about three percent of registered voters are aged 18 to 24. The very generation leading protests and risking the sea crossing is the least represented at the ballot box. There’s a huge disconnect, and parties know it.

As reported by cbinews.tv, the disparities in wealth, opportunity and regional development are set to be the issue of this vote, which lands just days before the first anniversary of Morocco’s youth-led protest movement.

Some Background and History You Need:

This isn’t Morocco’s first dance with this tension.

The 2011 Constitution, born out of the Arab Spring, brought more powers to parliament and the prime minister, introduced gender quotas, and promised wider inclusion. Female representation rose from 67 MPs in 2011 to 95 in 2021, with 90 coming through the national list system. But Morocco still ranks 99th globally for women in parliament, with women holding just 24.3% of seats.

In 2021, the PJD Islamists — who had led government for a decade — were trounced, and the liberal-conservative RNI of billionaire businessman Akhannouch swept in alongside Istiqlal and PAM. That 2021 race also scrapped the 30 seats previously reserved for youth candidates when the gender quota was expanded to 90 seats — a move critics say further sidelined young people.

Fast forward to now: parties have rolled out glossy programmes on TikTok, Facebook and Instagram, but the local press isn’t buying it. News site Le360 slammed what it called “dazzling financial promises” with little explanation of how they’d be paid for. Political scientist Abdellah Tourabi, writing in TelQuel, said the campaign so far lacks any real substantive political debate.

Sound familiar? Big promises, vague maths.

Why It Matters?

Because Morocco matters. It’s Africa’s most stable monarchy, a key EU partner on migration, security and green energy, and a country where 18 million eligible voters — 46% of them women — will also be choosing more than 31,000 municipal and regional officials at the same time.

If turnout is low — especially among the young — the next government will struggle for legitimacy when it tries to tackle the very issues driving protest and migration. If the governing coalition holds, King Mohammed VI will likely re-appoint from within it, maintaining continuity but also maintaining the current power balance where the palace retains control of defence, religion and major strategic policy.

In short: this vote won’t change the monarchy, but it will decide who gets to try and fix the jobs crisis, the cost-of-living squeeze, and the regional divide.

How Does Morocco Actually Elect Its Government?

1. You vote for a party list, not just a person. Morocco uses proportional lists.

2. 395 seats are up for grabs. 305 local, 90 national (women and regional representation).

3. The King chooses the PM. He must pick from the party that wins the most seats.

4. The PM then builds a coalition. Usually takes weeks of horse-trading — what local media call Morocco’s “oddly codependent, wildly improvised way of forming a government.”

What’s Next?

1. 10-22 September: Full-blown campaigning — expect caravans, souk rallies, and a war on social media.

2. 23 September: Polling day. Results are usually known within 24 hours.

3. Late September-October: Coalition negotiations and appointment of the new prime minister.

4. Watch the youth turnout figure. If that 3% figure barely moves, expect more street politics than parliamentary politics in the year ahead.

This is more than a ballot count. It’s a test of whether Morocco’s political system can bring its restless young back into the tent.

Credit: cbinews.tv

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