Morocco Election 2026: Where the Minimum Wage Stands
MOROCCO · ELECTION
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Key Facts
- —When Moroccans vote 23 September 2026, for 395 seats in the House of Representatives.
- —The electorate 15.8 million registered voters, 7,288 candidates on 1,850 lists.
- —The minimum wage now MAD 3,422 a month in the private sector from January 2026, about US$361. The agricultural minimum is MAD 2,533, roughly US$267.
- —What parties are promising A 15% rise from the Party of Progress and Socialism. The left alliance proposes a unified net minimum of MAD 5,000, about US$527, by 2029.
- —The youth problem Voters aged 18 to 24 are about 3% of the register. Under-35s are 18%, while voters over 60 are 30%.
- —The unemployment figure to get right Youth unemployment was 27.2% in the second quarter of 2026, on a new survey. The widely quoted 37.2% is the 2025 figure on the old one.
Moroccan parties are competing on the minimum wage. The voters it would most affect are barely on the electoral register.
Morocco votes on 23 September 2026 in a legislative election where the minimum wage has become a central promise. Voters aged 18 to 24 make up about 3% of the electoral register.
The Election
The House of Representatives has 395 seats: 305 from local constituencies and 90 from regional lists reserved for women.
A majority requires 198 seats. No Moroccan party has come close to one in the multi-party era.
There are 15.8 million registered voters and 7,288 candidates across 1,850 lists.
The state has allocated MAD 450 million in public campaign funding, about US$47.5 million. Of that, MAD 50 million, about US$5.3 million, is reserved for lists headed by candidates aged 35 or under.
Where the Minimum Wage Stands
The private-sector minimum, the SMIG, rose to MAD 3,422.72 a month in January 2026, about US$361.
It is calculated as MAD 17.92 an hour, about US$1.89, over 191 hours, up from MAD 17.10. The instrument is decree 2.25.983.
The agricultural minimum, the SMAG, rose to MAD 2,533.44 in April 2026, roughly US$267, at MAD 97.44 a day over 26 days.
Both are the second instalment of a tripartite social accord signed in April 2024. The SMIG has risen nearly 20% since 2021 and the SMAG nearly 25%.
What the Parties Are Offering
The Party of Progress and Socialism proposes a 15% rise covering both minimums, in two stages in 2027 and 2030.
It also proposes a minimum dignity income of MAD 1,000, about US$105, for households in multidimensional poverty. Its jobs pledge is one million net jobs over five years.
The left alliance joins the Federation of the Democratic Left and the Unified Socialist Party. It proposes a single unified minimum of MAD 5,000 net by 2029, roughly US$527.
Its path runs MAD 4,100 in 2027, about US$432, then MAD 4,550 in 2028, some US$480, then MAD 5,000 in 2029.
The Number Everyone Is Quoting Wrong
Youth unemployment among 15 to 24-year-olds is widely given as 37.2% for 2026. That figure is from 2025.
Morocco’s statistics agency, the High Commission for Planning, put it at 27.2% in the second quarter of 2026. That was down from 29.2% in the first.
Overall unemployment was 9.5% in the same quarter, down from 10.8%.
The agency changed its survey methodology in 2026 and says comparison with the old series is not possible. A government revising its own labour figures downward in an election year is itself part of the story.
Who Is On the Register
Voters aged 18 to 24 are about 3% of the 15.8 million registered, some sources rounding to 4%.
That is roughly 474,000 people out of a potential cohort near 3.9 million.
Adding 25 to 34-year-olds brings the under-35 share to 18%. Voters over 60 are 30%.
Low youth registration long predates the current wage promises, so it measures enrolment rather than a verdict on any policy.
The Group Nobody Reaches
A joint study counted 2.9 million Moroccans aged 15 to 29 not in employment, education or training. It was produced by the High Commission for Planning with the International Labour Organization and the European Union.
It was presented in Rabat on 14 April 2026 and puts the share at roughly one in three.
That population is larger than the entire 18 to 24 electoral roll.
A minimum wage rise reaches them only if they are working. That is the gap the promises do not close.
What a Moroccan Minimum Wage Buys
MAD 3,422 a month is about US$361, in a country where Casablanca rents and food prices have risen faster than wages.
The formal private sector is where the SMIG applies. Much Moroccan employment is informal, where it does not.
Agriculture, where the lower SMAG applies, employs around a third of Moroccan workers.
Raising the legal minimum lifts those inside the formal sector and leaves those outside it where they were.
What to Watch
Turnout on 23 September, and the age profile of who actually votes.
Whether either wage pledge survives coalition negotiation, since no party will govern alone.
The next quarterly labour figures, which will show whether the improvement holds.
And the 2027 instalment of the social accord, which is the next scheduled wage decision regardless of who wins.
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Frequently Asked Questions
When does Morocco vote?
23 September 2026, for 395 seats in the House of Representatives.
What is Morocco’s minimum wage?
MAD 3,422.72 a month in the private sector from January 2026, about US$361. Agriculture is MAD 2,533.44, roughly US$267.
What are parties promising?
The Party of Progress and Socialism proposes a 15% rise in two stages. The left alliance proposes a unified MAD 5,000 net, about US$527, by 2029.
What is youth unemployment?
27.2% among 15 to 24-year-olds in the second quarter of 2026. The 37.2% figure often quoted is from 2025 under a different survey.
How many young people are registered to vote?
Voters aged 18 to 24 are about 3% of the register. Under-35s are 18%, and over-60s are 30%.
How much public campaign funding is there?
MAD 450 million, about US$47.5 million. Of that, MAD 50 million, some US$5.3 million, goes to lists led by candidates aged 35 or under.
Sources: Haut-Commissariat au Plan, Médias24, La Quotidienne, Morocco World News, Bulletin Officiel, International Labour Organization.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief