Morocco kicks off legislative election campaign with 27 political parties vying for 395 seats

Campaigning for Morocco’s legislative election opened on Thursday, with the governing coalition seeking to retain power amid discontent over economic and regional inequalities.

The disparities are set to be a major issue in the vote, which will be held days before the first anniversary of a youth-led protest movement.

Lagging economic development and youth unemployment are in the spotlight after tens of thousands of people, predominantly Moroccans, crossed into the neighbouring Spanish enclave of Ceuta in July in a massive migrant rush.

The parties in the running for power hope to tap into these frustrations, even with political disinterest high among the young.

Only about three percent of those registered to vote are aged 18 to 24.

Nearly 16 million people have registered to elect 395 members of the House of Representatives on September 23.

Morocco’s prime minister, currently Aziz Akhannouch, is appointed by the king from the party that wins the most seats.

The premier then forms a government for a five-year term, while the monarch retains control of major policy decisions.

Political parties have rolled out their programmes on social media, but Moroccan media outlets have questioned some of the pledges in their campaigns.

News website Le360 criticised “dazzling financial promises” made by some parties.

It said their programmes were filled with attractive social and economic pledges but offered little clarity on how they would be financed.

Political scientist Abdellah Tourabi wrote in the weekly magazine TelQuel that the campaign lacked substantive political debate.