Politics of Morocco

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Morocco
This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Morocco

King Mohammed VI Makhzen Prime Minister Driss Jettou Parliament Assembly of Councillors Assembly of Representatives Political parties Elections Regions Human rights Foreign relations Western Sahara conflict
Other countries • Politics Portal view • talk • edit

Politics of Morocco takes place in a framework of a parliamentary constitutional monarchy, whereby the Prime Minister of Morocco is the head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of parliament, the Assembly of Representatives of Morocco and the Assembly of Councillors. The Moroccan Constitution provides for a monarchy with a Parliament and an independent judiciary.

1 Executive branch
2 Legislative branch
3 Political parties and elections
4 Judicial branch
5 Administrative divisions
6 International organization affiliations

[edit] Executive branch

Main office holders
Office	Name	Party	Since
King	Mohammed VI		23 July 1999
Prime Minister	Driss Jettou		9 October 2002

The constitution grants the king extensive powers; he is both the political leader and the "Defender of the Faith". He presides over the Council of Ministers; appoints the Prime Minister following legislative elections, and on recommendations from the latter, appoints the members of the government. while the constitution theoretically allows the king, to terminate the tenure of any minister, and after consultation with the heads of the higher and lower Assemblies, to dissolve the Parliament, suspend the constitution, call for new elections, or rule by decree, the only time this happened was in 1965. The King is formally the chief of the military. Upon the death of his father Mohammed V, King Hassan II succeeded to the throne in 1961. He ruled Morocco for the next 38 years, until he past away in 1999. His son, King Mohammed VI, assumed the throne in July 1999.

Following the March 1998 elections, a coalition government headed by opposition socialist leader Abderrahmane Youssoufi and composed largely of ministers drawn from opposition parties, was formed. Prime Minister Youssoufi's government is the first government drawn primarily from opposition parties in decades, and also represents the first opportunity for a coalition of socialist, left-of-center, and nationalist parties to be included in the government until October 2002. It was also the first time in the modern political history of the arab world that the opposition assumed power following an election. The current government is headed by Driss Jettou, who is not a member of any party.

[edit] Legislative branch

Since the constitutional reform of 1996, the bicameral legislature consists of two chambers. The Assembly of Representatives of Morocco (Majlis al-Nuwab/Assemblée des Répresentants) has 325 members elected for a five year term, 295 elected in multi-seat constituencies and 30 in national lists consisting only of women. The Assembly of Councillors (Majlis al-Mustasharin) has 270 members, elected for a nine year term, elected by local councils (162 seats), professional chambers (91 seats) and wage-earners (27 seats). The Parliament's powers, though limited, were expanded under the 1992 and 1996 constitutional revisions and include budgetary matters, approving bills, questioning ministers, and establishing ad hoc commissions of inquiry to investigate the government's actions. The lower chamber of Parliament may dissolve the government through a vote of no confidence.

[edit] Political parties and elections

The following election results include names of political parties. See for additional information about parties the List of political parties in Morocco. An overview on elections and election results is included in Elections in Morocco.

[discuss] – [edit]
**Summary of the 27 September 2002 Assembly of Representatives of Morocco election results**
Parties	%	Seats
Socialist Union of People's Forces (Union Socialiste des Forces Populaires)	.	50
Independence Party (Hizb al-Istiqlal/Parti d'Independence)	.	48
Justice and Development Party (Parti de la Justice et du Développement)	.	42
National Rally of Independents (Rassemblement National des Indépendents)	.	41
People's Movement (Mouvement Populaire)	.	27
National People's Movement (Mouvement Nationale Populaire)	.	18
Constitutional Union (Union Constitutionelle)	.	16
National Democratic Party (Parti National-Démocrate)	.	12
Front of Democratic Forces (Front des Forces Démocratiques)	.	12
Party of Progress and Socialism (Parti du Progrès et du Socialisme)	.	11
Democratic Union (Union Démocratique)	.	10
Democratic and Social Movement (Mouvement Démocratique et Social)	.	7
Democratic Socialist Party (Parti Socialiste Démocratique)	.	6
Covenant Party (Parti Al Ahd)	.	5
Alliance of Liberties (Alliance des Libertés)	.	4
Reform and Development Party (Parti de la Réforme et du Développement)	.	3
Party of the Unified Socialist Left (Parti de la Gauche Socialiste Unifiée)	.	3
Liberal Moroccan Party (Parti Marocain Libéral)	.	3
Citizens' Forces (Forces Citoyennes)	.	2
Environment and Development Party (Parti de l'Environnement et du Développement)	.	2
Democratic Independence Party (Parti Démocratique et de l'Indépendance)	.	2
National Congress Party (Parti du Congrès National Ittihadi)	.	1
Total (turnout 51.6 %)		325
Source: Maghreb Arabe Presse

[edit] Judicial branch

The highest court in the judicial structure is the Supreme Court, whose judges are appointed by the King. The Youssoufi government continued to implement a reform program to develop greater judicial independence and impartiality. Morocco is divided into 16 administrative regions; the regions are administered by the Walis and governors appointed by the King.