Morocco votes for a new parliament after Gen Z protests and migration surge to Ceuta

CASABLANCA, Morocco (AP) — Moroccan voters are choosing a new parliament Wednesday in an election shaped by mounting frustration among young people, high unemployment despite a thriving economy, and demands for better schools, hospitals and housing.

Voting centers across the North African kingdom will open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time, allowing nearly 16 million registered voters to cast ballots for the 395-seat House of Representatives.

The vote will determine the next prime minister and the makeup of the government, which will serve alongside a powerful monarchy that retains broad authority over strategic affairs. Results are expected Thursday.

The next government will oversee billions of dollars in investment as Morocco prepares to co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup, prompting some to describe it as the “World Cup government.” The new political leadership will also face pressure to address everyday concerns, including jobs, wages and the cost of living.

For many young Moroccans, the election comes as doubts grow that political participation can improve their daily lives. Some have turned to street protests, while others have considered leaving the country or staying away from the ballot box.

The Moroccan Constitution requires the king to appoint the head of government from the party that wins the most seats in legislative elections. Since no single party is expected to obtain an absolute majority, the winner will need to negotiate with others to form a governing coalition.

Voters will choose among 7,288 candidates from 27 political parties. The election is the first since deadly youth-led protests nearly a year ago and a mass attempt by migrants to cross Morocco’s northern border into the Spanish territory of Ceuta.

Some, including the far-left party, The Democratic Path, called to boycott the election saying that it “lacks the minimum conditions of democracy.” Banned but tolerated Islamist association Al-Adl Wal Ihsane issued similar claims.

The constitution recognizes the right to vote for Moroccans living abroad, but there is no voting by mail or ballot boxes at Moroccan consulates. Instead, they must travel to Morocco to vote or authorize a registered family member or acquaintance to vote on their behalf.

The number of registered voters has declined by 9.7% since the 2021 election, even as Morocco’s population has grown, and analysts expect turnout to be low.

Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, Moroccan minister, politician and mayor of Marrakech, takes part in an electoral rally for Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) ahead of the upcoming legislative elections, in Tangier, Morocco, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

People take part in an electoral rally for Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) ahead of the upcoming legislative elections, in Tangier, Morocco, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Faouzi Lekjaa, president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation and member of the political bureau of the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) takes part in an electoral rally ahead of the upcoming legislative elections, in Benslimane, Morocco, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

People attend an electoral rally for Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) ahead of the upcoming legislative elections, in Benslimane, Morocco, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

NEW YORK (AP) — His voice forceful and proud, he rose in front of the world's largest gathering of leaders on behalf of his nation and announced that he had something important to say. The tiny South Pacific island nation of Nauru, its president said, had altered its name — and reclaimed its heritage in the process.

“I have traveled far,” David Adeang said Tuesday at the United Nations.

What was known to the world for many years as Nauru, Adeang said, was returning to the name and pronunciation of its past: Naoero.

“There are moments in the life of a nation when its people are called to remember who they have always been,” Adeang said in his speech at the U.N. General Assembly in New York. “This is such a moment for us.”

Though the names are similar and, in essence, the same word, the shift in spelling and pronunciation represents the nation's effort to recast — rebrand, even — itself for its own people as much as for the outside world. He called it not a change but an effort to “affirm a truth.”

“For many years, the world has known our country as Nauru. Nauru is how our name sounded to those who found it hard to say, and the world kept it,” Adeang said. “But it is not the name our people used among themselves.”

The nation, an eight-square-mile island with about 12,000 people, became independent in 1968 after longtime colonial rule under the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia and Germany. It announced the renaming in August after signaling its intent in February.

The country’s international code is changing from NRU to NRO and its people will be known as dei-Naoero instead of Nauruan. Commonly known abroad by the pronunciation of Now-roo, the new name is spoken as Now-ero.

Across the past century, other nations have renamed themselves or tweaked their names for various reasons, from modernization to rejection of colonialism.

The African nation of Eswatini changed its name from Swaziland in 2018. In Africa, Dahomey became Benin after a 1975 coup and Rhodesia became Zimbabwe in 1980 after shedding colonial rule. Siam became Thailand in 1939 to foster ethnic unity and shed a foreign label.

Turkey, meanwhile, has been officially named Turkiye since 1920 but requested in 2022 that the United Nations use the spelling and pronunciation as its name in English as well — in part to avoid confusion by underscoring that the bird wasn't the word.

The list goes on. Persia became Iran. Burma became Myanmar. Upper Volta is now Burkina Faso, Gold Coast is Ghana and Ceylon is Sri Lanka.

A name, obviously, is a pivotal and intimate expression of a nation's identity on any stage, domestic or international. Adeang's remarks Tuesday reflected this as he carefully pronounced the name to differentiate it from its former pronunciation.

“We do not make this choice to erase our past. We make it because we honor it,” he said. “That name carries the memory of our ancestors, our language, and our identity. It has been there all along. Never lost, never absent. Today, we restore Naoero.”

And then, after completing his address about the issues that face his people — rising seas, economics, respect on the global stage — he concluded his address with three words:

“Say our name.”

Ted Anthony has written about international affairs for The Associated Press since 1995.

FILE- A child plays near the beach in Nauru during the Pacific Islands Forum on the tiny Pacific nation of Nauru Monday, Sept. 3, 2018. (Jason Oxenham/Pool Photo via AP, File)

FILE - This shows national flags in Nauru for the Pacific Islands Forum on the tiny Pacific nation of Nauru, on Sept. 3, 2018. (Jason Oxenham/Pool Photo via AP, File)

President of Naoero, David Ranibok Adeang addresses the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

President of Naoero, David Ranibok Adeang addresses the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)