Moroccan Parties Aim to Engage Youth Voters Election

The upcoming election in Morocco on September 23 will be the fourth since the 2011 Arab Spring protests. The moderate Islamist Justice and Development Party, which governed for about a decade, was succeeded by the National Rally of Independents (RNI) and the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) following a significant defeat in the 2021 election.

Both parties are focusing on youth employment, pledging to create approximately one million jobs in the next parliamentary term and highlighting a $20 billion infrastructure investment ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup. Despite these efforts, engaging young voters remains difficult, as evidenced by protests last year and a mass migration attempt to Ceuta.

Official figures indicate that individuals aged 18 to 24 make up about 12% of Morocco's population but only about 3% of registered voters. Youth unemployment stands at around 27%, the highest among age groups, with many young Moroccans feeling disillusioned by the political process.