Moroccans vote in parliamentary elections after migrant rush to Ceuta

Moroccans head to the polls on Wednesday to elect a new parliament, with voters focused on the cost of living, employment and inequality while parties stand challenged by distrust. Polling stations are set to open at 8am (0800 GMT) and close at 7pm, with preliminary results to be announced later at night. Nearly 16 million Moroccans have registered to elect 395 members of the House of Representatives. Turnout, especially among the youth, will be one of the key tests of the vote, as only a slim four percent of those signed up are aged 18 to 24. Morocco's prime minister is appointed by the king from the party that wins the most seats. Then the premier forms a government for a five-year term, but the monarch retains control of major policy decisions. Rising unemployment, higher prices, inequality and distrust of politicians are at the heart of the election campaign. The vote comes less than two months after a mass rush of mainly young Moroccan migrants into the neighbouring Spanish enclave of Ceuta. Read moreIn Ceuta, migrants stranded at Europe’s gates await their fate The migration crisis, which heightened tensions between Rabat and Madrid, has not been a central campaign issue, but...