Constitution of Morocco
Encyclopedia
The first Constitution of Morocco was adopted in 1962, 6 years after the country regained independence. Since this event, the king, Mohamed V worked for the establishment of political and constitutional institutions. This was originally the creation of the National Advisory Council and, on November 15, 1959, the enactment of the Dahir, legislation text governing public freedoms and freedom of expression. Then, in 1960, the Constitutional Council was created and the Draft of the first Constitution was proposed on November 18, 1962, and ratified by referendum on December 7, 1962 and promulgated one week later, on December 14.
A referendum on constitutional reforms was held in Morocco
on 1 July 2011. It was called in response to the protests
that took place earlier in the year demanding democratic reforms. A commission was to draft proposals by June 2011. A draft released on 17 June foresaw the following changes:
The changes were reportedly approved by 98.49% of voters. Despite protest movements calling for a boycott of the referendum, government officials claimed turnout was 72.65%.
Following the referendum, early parliamentary elections
will be held on 7 October 2011.
A referendum on constitutional reforms was held in Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
on 1 July 2011. It was called in response to the protests
2011 Moroccan protests
The 2011 Moroccan protests are a series of demonstrations across Morocco and the Moroccan-controlled Western Saharan territory which began on 20 February 2011 and are influenced by other protests in the region.-Origin:...
that took place earlier in the year demanding democratic reforms. A commission was to draft proposals by June 2011. A draft released on 17 June foresaw the following changes:
- forcing the King to name a Prime Minister from the largest party in ParliamentParliament of MoroccoThe Parliament of Morocco is located in Rabat, the capital of Morocco.- Composition :Since 1996, the national legislature has become bicameral and has therefore two parliamentary chambers:...
; - handing a number of rights from the monarch to the PM, including dissolution of parliamentDissolution of parliamentIn parliamentary systems, a dissolution of parliament is the dispersal of a legislature at the call of an election.Usually there is a maximum length of a legislature, and a dissolution must happen before the maximum time...
; - allowing parliament to grant amnestyAmnestyAmnesty is a legislative or executive act by which a state restores those who may have been guilty of an offense against it to the positions of innocent people, without changing the laws defining the offense. It includes more than pardon, in as much as it obliterates all legal remembrance of the...
, previously a privilege of the monarch; - making BerberBerber languagesThe Berber languages are a family of languages indigenous to North Africa, spoken from Siwa Oasis in Egypt to Morocco , and south to the countries of the Sahara Desert...
an official language alongside ArabicArabic languageArabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
The changes were reportedly approved by 98.49% of voters. Despite protest movements calling for a boycott of the referendum, government officials claimed turnout was 72.65%.
Following the referendum, early parliamentary elections
Moroccan parliamentary election, 2011
An early parliamentary election was held in Morocco on 25 November 2011, brought forward from 2012 and then postponed from 7 October 2011.Public protests as part of the Arab Spring in February 2011 led King Mohammed VI to announce an early election, a process of constitutional reform granting new...
will be held on 7 October 2011.
Results of 2011 referendum
See also
- Moroccan constitutional referendum, 1962Moroccan constitutional referendum, 1962A referendum on a new constitution was held in Morocco on 7 December 1962. It was the first national-level vote in the country, and only the second election ever following local elections in 1960. Despite only being announced on 18 November, and facing a boycott campaign from the National Union of...
- Moroccan constitutional referendum, 2011Moroccan constitutional referendum, 2011A referendum on constitutional reforms was held in Morocco on 1 July 2011. It was called in response to the protests that took place earlier in the year demanding democratic reforms. A commission was to draft proposals by June 2011...