Morocco’s King Mohammed promises new constitution
Morocco’s King Mohammed has promised his country a new democratic constitution which will be put to a referendum. But will it be enough to appease activists calling for major reforms?
The reformed constitution will shift some powers to government and hold officials more accountable, but the king will retain his grip on security, the army and religion.
King Mohammed, who heads the Arab world’s longest-serving dynasty, is being watched closely by other Arab monarchies who fear any changes in Morocco may raise levels of expectations in their own countries.
Addressing the nation in a TV address, Mohammed said he would vote for the new charter and urged Moroccans to do likewise.
“We have managed … to develop a new democratic constitutional charter,” he said.
“I am addressing you today to renew our joint commitment to achieving a significant transition in completing the construction of a state based on the rule of law and on democratic institutions, and … good governance.”
We will continue to mobilise Moroccans for a democratic constitution that widens the scope of public freedoms. Najib Chawki, activist
After facing the biggest anti-establishment protests in decades, King Mohammed in March ordered a hand-picked committee to discuss constitutional reform with political parties, trade unions and NGOs. The brief was to trim the 47-year-old monarch’s clout and make the judiciary independent.
The final draft of the reformed constitution explicitly grants the government executive powers, although the king would keep exclusive control over military and religious fields and pick a prime minister from the party that wins the polls.
Reforms ‘don’t go far enough’
Najib Chawki, an activist from the February 20 Movement, said the constitutional reform draft “does not respond to the essence of our demands which is establishing a parliamentary monarchy. We are basically moving from a de facto absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy”.
The movement has called for the creation in Morocco of a parliamentary monarchy, an end to the influence of the king’s inner circle, the dismissal of the government, and for officials and businessmen it accuses of corruption to be put on trial.
Protesters have also demanded that the king fight corruption and limit the influence of the secretive palace elite.
But they have not gone as far as demanding an end to the Arab world’s longest-serving dynasty and have failed to win the sort of mass popular support that toppled the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt, uprisings which inspired the February 20 Movement.
They have, however, attracted activists of various ideological backgrounds from extreme-left to Islamists and from wealthy businessmen to indigenous Amazigh activists.
The reformed constitution allows the king to delegate the task of chairing ministerial council meetings to the prime minister, which can appoint provincial governors and ambassadors – prerogatives currently exclusive to the king.
The February 20 Movement plans to push ahead with protests planned for Sunday. “We will continue to mobilise Moroccans for a democratic constitution that widens the scope of public freedoms,” said Chawki.
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