MOROCCO’S JOURNEY INTO DEMOCRACY
(Author, Professor and President of the South North Centre for Intercultural Dialogue in Fez, Morocco)
Copyright: Research Institute for European and American Studies (www.rieas.gr) Publication Date: 6 September 2014
The recent political history of Morocco up to the 1990s consisted of the late King Hassan II endeavors to consolidate the power of the monarchy. King Mohammed VI took the throne in 1999 with a promise to make a change and "turn the page" on the worst cruelties of the past.
The "Arabic Spring" in Morocco was soft since February 20 movement was a peaceful democratic pressure group. In response to the protests, King Mohammed VI, in his speech of March 9th 2011, proposed a reform of the constitution which would guarantee a separation of powers, decentralization, good governance, human rights and gender equality. The new constitution passed on 1 July 2011 recognizes Berbers' mother tongue as an official language side by side with Standard Arabic for the first time in Moroccan history.... Read more