Morocco opens month long voter registration drive before September election

Saturday 16 May 2026 - 08:01

By: Dakir Madiha

Morocco opens month long voter registration drive before September election

Morocco’s Interior Ministry has launched a 30 day exceptional voter registration campaign ahead of the legislative elections scheduled for September 23, as authorities seek to expand participation before a politically sensitive national vote. The registration period began on May 15 and will continue through June 13 under a timetable approved through Ministerial Order No. 690.26, published in the Official Bulletin in April.

Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit said eligible citizens who are not yet listed on the national electoral rolls must submit registration requests before the deadline. The measure also applies to Moroccans who will reach the legal voting age of 18 by election day. Administrative commissions are scheduled to meet between June 15 and June 21 to review and validate applications before the final voter lists are confirmed.

Authorities also urged registered voters who changed residence to update their electoral information. Citizens moving to another commune or arrondissement must request a transfer to their new district, while residents who relocated within the same district are required to modify their address records. Applications can be filed through the official electoral portal or directly at local administrative offices. Voters may also verify their registration status through the government website or by SMS.

The registration campaign comes as Morocco faces a significant gap between eligible voters and registered participants. Current electoral rolls contain around 16.5 million names, compared with an estimated 28 million citizens eligible to vote. The figure marks a decline from the 17.5 million registered voters recorded before the 2021 parliamentary election. Officials attribute part of the reduction to population mobility, duplicate records, deaths, and changes in residency that led to the removal of roughly 1.4 million entries during annual revisions.

The September election will renew all 395 seats in the House of Representatives and will test the durability of the governing coalition led by Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch. The coalition was formed after the 2021 vote, when the National Rally of Independents secured 102 seats, ahead of the Authenticity and Modernity Party and the Istiqlal Party. The election also produced a historic defeat for the Justice and Development Party, which fell from 125 seats to 13 after leading the government for a decade.

The upcoming vote carries added political weight following the Gen Z 212 protest movement that spread across Morocco in late 2025. Demonstrators denounced rising youth unemployment, pressure on public services, and state spending priorities tied to major development projects. The protests intensified criticism of the governing coalition and exposed growing frustration among younger voters who increasingly feel disconnected from traditional political institutions.