Morocco Kicks Off May 15-June 13 Voter Registration for Legislative Elections

Marrakech – Morocco’s Interior Ministry on Friday launched a 30-day exceptional voter registration period ahead of the legislative elections scheduled for September 23. The registration window runs from May 15 through June 13, Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit detailed in a statement.

The announcement follows the publication in the Official Bulletin on April 23 of Ministerial Order No. 690.26, dated April 22, setting the dates and deadlines for the revision of the general electoral rolls.

The ministry called on all citizens not yet registered on the general electoral rolls who meet the legal requirements – including those who are at least 18 years old or will turn 18 by September 23 – to submit their registration applications during the 30-day window.

The competent administrative commissions will then convene between June 15 and 21 to process and rule on all submitted requests, as part of the broader timeline to lock in the definitive electoral rolls before polling day.

Citizens who have moved outside the territorial jurisdiction of the commune or arrondissement where they are currently registered were also urged to file transfer requests to the electoral roll of their new place of effective residence. Those who have moved within the same commune or arrondissement must update their addresses on the electoral roll during the same period.

Registration and transfer requests can be submitted online through the dedicated portal www.listeselectorales.ma or in person at local administrative offices designated for that purpose. Citizens can also verify their registration status by sending an SMS to the free number 2727 or by checking the same website.

The ministry warned that any citizen whose name does not appear on the current electoral roll must submit a new registration request before the June 13 deadline, either online or at the designated offices.

The registration drive comes at a critical juncture for Morocco’s electoral preparedness. The current electoral rolls count roughly 16.5 million registered voters out of an estimated 28 million eligible citizens – a gap of approximately 12 million unregistered Moroccans. The figure represents a decline from the 17.5 million registered ahead of the September 2021 elections.

Only about 400,000 new registrations were recorded during the annual revision cycle. The ministry also purged 1.4 million entries from the rolls during the annual revision over issues including loss of effective residence, duplicate registrations, and deaths.

Laftit held meetings with leaders of parliamentary parties on May 7 and with non-parliamentary parties on May 9 to discuss the registration effort, underlining the government’s push to broaden the electorate before the vote.

The current electorate is 54% male and 46% female, with 55% of registered voters in urban areas and 45% in rural zones.

The September 23 vote will renew all 395 seats in the House of Representatives. The official campaign period will run from September 10 through midnight on September 22.

The 2021 elections produced a major political realignment. The National Rally of Independents (RNI) took 102 seats, followed by the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) with 86 and the Istiqlal Party with 81.

The three parties have since formed the governing coalition led by Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch. The Justice and Development Party (PJD), which had led the government for two consecutive terms, suffered a historic collapse, dropping from 125 seats to just 13.

The September vote will be the first major electoral test since the Gen Z 212 protests rocked Morocco in late 2025.

Youth unemployment at 35.8%, failing hospitals, and perceived misallocation of public funds toward mega-projects drove hundreds of thousands into the streets, demanding Akhannouch’s resignation and putting the ruling coalition’s legitimacy on trial. The movement also exposed a widening rift between the governing elite and a politically disenchanted younger electorate.