Morocco faces electoral legitimacy crisis as over 16 million citizens stay out of polls

A new strategic report released by the African Center for Strategic Studies and Digitisation (CAESD) analyses Morocco's party and electoral landscape up to 2035. It identifies the “silent segment” – citizens who do not vote – as the largest force in the political arena and warns of a deepening “representation crisis”. The report notes that in the 2021 parliamentary election the official turnout was 50.35 % of registered voters, but only about 8.8 million of the 25.23 million eligible voters actually cast a ballot (roughly 35 %). This means more than 16 million eligible Moroccans – about 65 % – were absent from the polls, either because they are not registered (≈7.7 million) or because they abstained despite registration (≈8.7 million).

The authors argue that low participation reflects structural distrust in parties and institutions, not merely temporary disengagement, and they caution that the legitimacy of elected bodies is eroding. To reverse the trend they propose automatic voter registration at adulthood, digital voting solutions, and targeted policies that address the specific motives of different demographic groups, especially youth and urban, highly‑educated citizens. The report also traces a historical decline in turnout since the 1970s, emphasizing that expanding electoral margins alone will not restore confidence without substantive political renewal.