- Published
Disillusioned young voters in Morocco were courted with viral football slogans, promises of one million jobs and anti-Israel rallying calls ahead of Wednesday's parliamentary elections.
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voters → publish → elections
Yet, for many young Moroccans, politics remains deeply disconnected from reality.
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politics → remain → reality
"I have no hope for this election.
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I → have → election
It's a complete circus," Siham Azeroual, 32, an environmental activist who lives in the Atlas region, tells the BBC.
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who → live → BBC
The outcome of the vote will decide the make-up of the next government, just weeks after 60,000 people risked their lives to cross from the North African country to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta - a sign of the lack of opportunities many young people feel they have at home.
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they → decide → home
Morocco operates as a constitutional monarchy where political parties compete for 395 seats in the House of Representatives, the legislative chamber.
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parties → operate → Representatives
Yet executive power remains closely tied to the crown.
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power → tie → crown
King Mohammed VI, the 63-year-old monarch, appoints the prime minister from the political party that comes first in the election, but also presides over the Council of Ministers - the country's most important policy-making body.
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that → appoint → Ministers
The current campaign also follows a wave of Gen Z protests that erupted in September 2025 over unemployment, healthcare and living costs.
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that → follow → unemployment
Demonstrators chanted slogans like "freedom, dignity, and social justice" which escalated to "get out Akhannouch", a reference to current Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch.
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which → chant → Akhannouch
More than 2,400 people faced prosecution following the unrest.
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people → face → unrest
Despite the crackdown, some young activists are choosing to enter the political arena.
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activists → choose → arena
Hamza El Kharroubi, 29, was briefly arrested during the protests.
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Kharroubi → arrest → protests
He is now running for parliament with the little-known Environment and Sustainable Development Party, which has a green agenda.
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which → run → agenda
"As a young person, I don't have much hope.
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I → have → hope
I joined this party because they wanted more Gen Z faces and they are allowing us to speak freely about our demands," El Kharroubi tells the BBC.
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Kharroubi → join → BBC
He comes from Tetouan, just 34km (21 miles) from Fnideq beach, where the migration wave to Ceuta started in late July.
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wave → come → July
Some 60,000 people crossed, both Moroccans and other nationalities.
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people → cross → ?
At least 100 people died in the largest migration surge to the enclave in recent history.
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people → die → history
"We want justice for the families of those who died crossing to Ceuta.
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who → want → Ceuta
We want compensation for their families," El Kharroubi says.
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Kharroubi → want → families
He argues that the crossing was widely linked to economic hardship and unemployment.
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crossing → argue → hardship
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates overall unemployment stood at 13% last year, while youth unemployment - between the ages of 15 and 24 - reached 37.3%.
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unemployment → estimate → %
El Kharroubi says his goal is not to compete with established heavyweights - but securing a voice in parliament to build toward 2031.
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goal → say → 2031
"As young people, we have to enter the parliament so by 2031 we have strong young politicians who can compete for a seat in the government."
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who → have → government
Fouzi Lekjaa, head of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation and a senior politician who works in the finance ministry, has emerged as the kingdom's newest political sensation - and a definite heavyweight.
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who → work → sensation
Credited with helping the Atlas Lions - as the national men's football team is known - become global contenders, Lekjaa joined the centrist Party of Authenticity and Modernity (Pam) in July.
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Lekjaa → credit → July
Videos of his campaign rallies have gone viral in the football-mad nation that is jointly hosting the next World Cup along with Spain and Portugal.
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that → go → Spain
The clips show crowds chanting "Sir" which means "Go" in Moroccan Arabic - the iconic catchphrase from Morocco's historic 2022 World Cup run, when it became the first Arab and African side to make it to the semi-finals.
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it → show → finals
Lekjaa has promised to make Morocco sixth in the world in education and healthcare, to match the Fifa ranking of the men's football team.
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Morocco → promise → team
Pam is competing against 26 other parties, including Prime Minister Akhannouch's National Rally of Independents (RNI).
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Pam → compete → Independents
In its bid for a second term, RNI has renewed a pledge to create one million job opportunities by 2031.
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RNI → renew → 2031
Political expert Rachid Aourraz, from the Moroccan Institute for Policy Analysis (MIPA), remains sceptical about this promise.
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Aourraz → remain → promise
"The slogan 'one million jobs' has become an overused electoral slogan.
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slogan → become → ?
There is also talk of raising the minimum wage, but what is proposed cannot withstand a structural inability to create stable net jobs," Aourraz tells the BBC.
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Aourraz → be → BBC
He adds that major parties "do not compete over an alternative model", but rather over how to implement public policies set by a royal vision.
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parties → add → vision
Also seeking a political comeback is the Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) - using anti-Israeli sentiments to woo voters.
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Party → seek → voters
Morocco normalised ties with Israel in December 2020 along with several other Arab countries, under the US-brokered Abraham Accords.
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Morocco → normalise → Accords
Led by populist former Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane, the PJD is campaigning heavily on a promise to end diplomatic ties with Israel.
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PJD → lead → Israel
He says the normalisation was a "mistake" made by his party which led the government between 2016 and 2021.
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which → say → 2016
…and 20 more, not listed.
The Aporia
