Moroccan youth and the mystery of voting in the upcoming elections

Moroccan youth and the mystery of voting in the upcoming elections

   Probably, the most talked about subject in the Moroccan society these days is the upcoming elections this September, and many Moroccan wonder whether Moroccan youth will finally break their silence and participate in the upcoming elections. However, given the low percentage of youth turnout in the last elections, things looks to be another déjà vu. So, what are the main causes of youth reluctance from voting?

    First, most youth believe that change will never come due to the successive disappointment of governments. For instance, in 2011, when the Islamic-oriented party of justice and development, led by the current president Mr.Ben Kiran, took power, their promises were big and bright, yet the sad reality that it was only lies. Trough-out their campaign they voiced an extremely large number of fancy slogans such as "we shall bring down all sorts of corruption," and "we will bring about change and social justice and equality to all," but, seriously, does not one notice how that every political party, running for office, recites what its predecessor promised, though not delivered. And genuinely this is only one of the reasons why Moroccan youth refuse to vote; the following paragraph will shed light on another aspect of the issue. 

   Second, another thing which hinder youth involvement in policy making is the wide spread officials’ corruption. In 2012, morocco ranked as the tenth corrupted country among other eighteen Arab countries in the report issued by GISWATCH. Moreover, Moroccan youth believe that even if a corrupt official is replaced; the one replacing him ultimately follow their footsteps, and change can never come unless there is a drastic change in mentality. What is more, I dare add that the main cause for Moroccan youth’s withdrawal from the political scene is that sense of estrangement they feel as if they are left behind when it comes to decision making.

   In short words, I believe that change will only occur if youth rise and unite to fight for their rights and establish a real political representation in the Moroccan political scene, away from all the corrupt greedy politicians, and this will only happen if youth participate actively in the upcoming elections not only as voters but also as candidates.