Morocco begins voting in legislative elections

Polling stations opened across Morocco on Wednesday morning as voters began casting ballots to elect members of the country’s House of Representatives.

Voting began at 8 am (0800GMT) and is set to close at 7 pm (1900GMT) local time across the country, according to Moroccan officials.

Some 15.8 million voters are registered for the elections, according to official figures. Twenty-eight political formations are competing for the 395 seats, with 7,288 candidacies registered nationwide.

The elections are the 12th parliamentary polls held in Morocco since independence and the sixth since King Mohammed VI took the throne in 1999.

Campaigning for the elections began on Sept. 10 and ended at midnight Tuesday ahead of Wednesday's vote.

The elections come amid public debate over employment, economic conditions, public services, and political participation, with youth engagement emerging as a major issue.

Provisional results are expected to begin being announced on Thursday, according to the official electoral calendar.