Morocco votes in election shaped by youth unemployment

Moroccans began voting Wednesday in a parliamentary election that will determine the next government as youth unemployment and disengagement dominate the campaign. Nearly 16 million registered voters are eligible to elect the 395-seat House of Representatives, with polling stations open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time and preliminary results expected Thursday. Voters are choosing among 7,288 candidates from 27 political parties. No single party is expected to win an absolute majority, meaning the leading party will need to negotiate a coalition before King Mohammed VI appoints the head of government. Under the constitution, the king appoints the prime minister from the party that wins the most seats and retains authority over foreign policy, national security and major strategic decisions. The election is the first since deadly Gen Z-led protests nearly a year ago and a mass migration attempt in July in which large numbers of young Moroccans crossed into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. Youth disengagement has been a central theme: Moroccans aged 18 to 24 make up about 12 percent of the population but account for only around 4 percent of registered voters.