Morocco goes to the polls in the midst of a Ceuta crisis under threat of record abstention
Young people shun midterms a year after Gen Z came of age: only 4% of those under 24 register to vote
Morocco is set to go to the polls on Wednesday amid a crisis in Ceuta and social unrest, despite a threat of a record abstention in the legislative elections. The campaign has seen little in the way of large-scale rallies or the usual excitement of election-day activity, as citizens have grown disengaged from the political class.
With a voluntary registration census, only 17.5 million registered citizens out of Morocco's 38 million inhabitants are eligible to vote, even though 28 million are over the age of majority and eligible to participate. In the last election five years ago, half of the registered voters abstained. A year after the surge of protests by Generation Z, the youth have largely shunned the ballot box.
The voting power of those aged 18 to 24 (12% of the population) has fallen to 4% of registered voters.
Written by urgent.news from El Pais's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
