The Guardian view on Morocco’s election: hosting a World Cup will not placate a disillusioned generation | Editorial

The Guardian Africa · Sep 29, 2026

A year after mass protests demanding a change in political priorities, gen Z opted out of last week’s poll en masse The spectacle of young migrants swimming en masse from Moroccan waters to the Spanish exclave of Ceuta exposed the frustration felt by a generation. One-third of the population of Morocco is aged between 15 and 30 , and more than one third of that cohort is unemployed. A dearth of opportunity at home incentivises young men in particular to take huge risks to reach the European Union. More than 100 people died in that attempted exodus, most of them by drowning. Worr