The Moroccan government has pledged sweeping reforms in healthcare, education, and youth political participation following a wave of youth-led protests that caught authorities off guard, state media reported on Sunday.
According to the state news agency MAP, the government announced a series of measures designed to encourage greater youth engagement in politics and strengthen key social sectors.
Under the 2026 draft finance bill, the government plans to significantly improve public education and healthcare — two areas that have been at the heart of recent demonstrations. In addition, a separate draft bill aims to boost civic participation by encouraging citizens under 35 to take part in politics.
The proposed law would relax eligibility rules for young electoral candidates and provide financial support covering up to 75 percent of their campaign costs. Another reform seeks to strengthen political parties by improving transparency, enhancing their operations, and making it easier for women and young people to join or establish them, MAP added.
The government’s announcement comes in response to the “GenZ 212” protest movement, which emerged online after the deaths of eight pregnant women at a hospital in Agadir sparked nationwide outrage. The protests — Morocco’s largest youth-led demonstrations in years — have since broadened to demand government accountability, an end to corruption, and improved living conditions.
In its statement, the government said it would prioritize social spending in the coming year, allocating nearly $13 million to healthcare and education, and creating more than 27,000 new jobs in those sectors.
Despite notable progress in reducing poverty — from nearly 12 percent of the population in 2014 to 6.8 percent in 2024 — Morocco continues to grapple with deep regional inequalities and a wide gap between public and private services, particularly in access to quality education.
