Morocco votes in parliamentary elections after a year of Gen Z protests

Moroccans are voting today to elect all 395 members of the House of Representatives, in a parliamentary election shaped by last year’s Gen Z protest wave and dominated by concerns over jobs and living costs.

More than 15.8 million people are registered to vote, but only about 4 percent are aged between 18 and 24, according to Al Jazeera. The interior ministry recorded 7,288 candidate lists, Hespress reports, after a campaign that ended at midnight last night. Polling closes at 7:00 p.m. local time, with provisional results expected late tonight or in the morning, per election guidance reported by the Sunday Guardian.

The vote is the first since the GenZ 212 protests that began on September 27, 2025, after eight women died following Caesarean deliveries at a public hospital — a flashpoint for wider anger over public healthcare, education, jobs and corruption. At least three people were killed in unrest that October, Al Jazeera reports.

The governing coalition of RNI, PAM and Istiqlal — which won 102, 87 and 81 seats respectively in 2021 — is seeking a renewed mandate under incumbent Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch, Radar Africa reports. The Islamist PJD, which collapsed from 125 seats to 13 in 2021, is campaigning under former head of government Abdelilah Benkirane. Under Morocco’s constitution, the king appoints the head of government from the party that finishes first.

Sources

• Al Jazeera — Morocco’s youth take Gen Z protest demands to the polls
• Al Jazeera — Morocco’s 2026 election: a test of political trust and engagement
• Hespress — Morocco records 7,288 candidate lists for 2026 parliamentary elections
• Radar Africa — Morocco heads to polls as jobs and living costs dominate election
• Sunday Guardian Live — Morocco Elections 2026 date, polling hours, result date
• Wikipedia — 2026 Moroccan general election