Young Moroccan candidates head to elections after Gen Z protests — Al Jazeera
In Morocco, young candidates are trying to turn the discontent that spilled into Gen Z protests in 2025 into participation in the parliamentary elections on September 23. Environmental entrepreneur Hamza El-Harroubi, 28, who previously protested in the streets, is now campaigning for a parliamentary seat in Tetouan. He founded the Environment and Sustainable Development Party.
As Al Jazeera English reports, El-Harroubi expects greater youth participation both in voting and in election campaigns. According to him, the previous actions by Generation Z increased young Moroccans' interest in political parties.
Protests and youth demands
Nationwide protests began on September 27, 2025, when outrage over the state of public healthcare, education, employment and living conditions spread beyond earlier demonstrations in Agadir. They were triggered by the deaths of eight women following caesarean sections at a public hospital in the southern city.
The GenZ 212 movement, which had no formal leadership, mobilized participants mainly through Discord, TikTok and Instagram. Its participants demanded better public healthcare and education, broader employment opportunities, an end to corruption and what they viewed as inappropriate public spending. At least three people were killed during unrest in October 2025.
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Turnout and representation
More than 15.8 million voters are registered for the elections, in which they will elect all 395 members of the House of Representatives. At the same time, according to the lists finalized in July, people aged 18 to 24 make up about 4% of registered voters. The share of voters aged over 60 exceeds 29%, while the 35–44 age group accounts for 21%. Turnout in the 2021 elections was slightly above 50%.
Az-el-Arab Hilmi, who works with the secretariat of the Federation of the Democratic Left, said that young people seek not general promises but tangible results: quality education, decent public healthcare, jobs and a fairer distribution of opportunities. He stressed that young people need a real place in discussions and decision-making, not merely participation in election campaigns.
Youth unemployment remains a problem: according to the High Commission for Planning, the overall unemployment rate in 2025 was 13%, while among people aged 15–24 it was 37.2%. The publication's interlocutors also noted that after the elections, citizens should monitor the work of their representatives and demand accountability from them.
