24/09/2026 Elections
Morocco’s parliamentary elections offered voters a broad political choice and voting was efficiently administered, a PACE observer delegation said today. Yet turnout was only 38.02% of registered voters – equivalent to fewer than one in four Moroccans of voting age. Together with the significant number of invalid and blank ballots, this exposes the central democratic challenge: not simply how elections are run, but whether political institutions inspire confidence and provide meaningful representation.
“An election can be orderly and still reveal serious challenges for representative democracy. When fewer than one in four adults cast a valid vote, such low participation cannot be overlooked. It raises important questions about participation, representation and citizens’ confidence in the political process,” said delegation head Elisabetta Gardini (Italy, ECPA).
Initiatives to encourage women’s and young people’s participation are welcome, including the ninety regional-list seats for women. But formal opportunities have yet to translate into sufficient political influence. Youth disengagement from political and electoral processes remains a significant challenge, as reflected in the strikingly low levels of electoral participation among young people.
PACE reiterates its long-standing call for automatic registration of all eligible citizens. The right to vote should not depend on a separate administrative application. Morocco should also enable its more than six million citizens abroad to vote personally and secretly; proxy voting cannot adequately safeguard individual choice or ballot secrecy.
“Trust cannot be rebuilt through electoral promises or digital services alone. It grows when citizens can see that their vote has equal weight, that institutions are accountable, and that participation can genuinely shape public decisions,” Ms Gardini said.
Observers also noted persistent inequalities in the weight of votes, the effects of an electoral quotient based on registered voters, and a media environment in which economic concentration and broad restrictions on expression can narrow genuine debate. The next electoral reform should therefore place equal suffrage, political pluralism and open public debate at its centre.
The delegation was further concerned by recurring allegations of vote-buying and of votes being directed through economic or hierarchical pressure. Such allegations require prompt and thorough investigation, with effective sanctions where violations are established.
The 24-member, cross-party PACE delegation deployed 12 teams in Rabat, Casablanca, Tangier, Fez and Marrakesh and surrounding areas. It assessed the process against Council of Europe standards and the commitments undertaken by the Moroccan Parliament as a PACE Partner for Democracy. Its final report will be presented to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in January 2027.
