The Guardian's editorial: Morocco's World Cup will not placate a disillusioned generation

The Guardian's editorial board has argued that Morocco's latest parliamentary election exposed a deep collapse of trust in politics among the country's young people, a year after mass protests demanded a change in political priorities.

The editorial notes that roughly one-third of Morocco's population is aged between 15 and 30, and that more than a third of that age group is unemployed, arguing that a lack of opportunity at home pushes many young men in particular to take significant risks to reach the European Union. The board pointed to the scale of a recent attempted crossing from Moroccan waters to the Spanish exclave of Ceuta, in which more than 100 people died, most by drowning, as an illustration of that frustration.

According to the editorial, gen Z voters largely opted out of last week's parliamentary poll, which the board said served as a troubling indicator of how far Morocco remains from an adequate domestic response to the challenges facing its young population.

The piece recalls that democratising reforms were introduced to Morocco's monarchical political system in the wake of the Arab spring, but argues that a decade and a half later, the low turnout among young voters shows how much confidence in the political process has eroded since then.

The editorial's title references Morocco's role as a host of the upcoming World Cup, arguing that the prestige of hosting the tournament will not by itself address the underlying disillusionment among young Moroccans.