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Monday, November 28, 2011

2011 Moroccan Parliamentary Election - Nov 25,2011


Morocco is a de jure constitutional parliamentary monarchy with an elected parliament;
officially the'' Kingdom of Morocco'' is  located in North Africa.



  

Moroccan Parliamentary Elections - Nov 25,2011
Around 30 political parties are fielding more than 5,000 candidates to compete for 395 seats in parliament, including 60 set aside for women and 30 for "youth," under 40.
The Moroccan Parliamentary Elections for 395 Seats of ''Assembly of Representatives of Morocco''were held on Nov 25,2011(brought forward from 2012 and then postponed from Oct 7,2011).The current election is the follow-up of nationwide protest in Feb 2011  and Constitutional Reforms made thereupon.




 Morocco's  parliamentary elections saw a 45 percent turnout(an improvement over 2007's 37 percent)

Demonstrations Across Morocco

On February20,2011 thousands of Moroccans rallied in the capital,Rabat  to demand that King Mohammed give up some of his powers, chanting slogans such as: "Down with autocracy" and "The people want to change the constitution"


 

Constitutional Reforms 

In March 2011King Mohammed announced that he would form a commission to work on constitutional revisions, which would make proposals to him by June 2011 after which a referendum would be held on the draft constitution.

A committee representing various parties was tasked by the king to prepare the new constitution and a draft was published in early June 2011.A referendum for its adoption was conducted on 1 July 2011 and registered a record high participation rate with a 70% turnout; the reforms were passed with 98% approval.

The new constitution, entered into effect on 1 August 2011, created a number of new civil rights, including constitutional guarantees of freedom of expression, social equality for women, rights for speakers of minority languages and the independence of judges.

The king rescinded his power to appoint prime ministers, obliging himself to appoint a member of the party winning the most seats in a parliamentary election.The prime minster replaced the king as the head of government and chair of the government council, gaining the power to dissolve parliament.

With the 2011 constitutional reforms, the King of Morocco, still retains few executive powers whereas those of the prime minister have been enlarged. Opposition political parties are legal. Politics of Morocco take place in a framework of a parliamentary constitutional monorachy whereby the Moroccan PM  is the Head of the Govt.  and of a Multi-Party System.Executive Power is exercised by the government. Legislative Power  is vested in both the Govt. and the two chambers of parliament, the Assembly of Representatives of Morocco and the Assembly of Councillors 

 

Islamist PJD Party Wins Morocco Poll

 Morocco's moderate Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) has won the most seats in Friday's parliamentary elections by winning 107 out of 395 seats, giving it the right to lead a government. The nationalist Istiqlal party has won 60 seats.Morocco's current PM Abbas Al Fassi, said on Saturday Nov 26,2011 his Istiqlal party was ready to enter into a coalition with the PJD. 

                                                       Moroccan Current PM Abbas El Fassi


Abdelillah Benkirane leader of the Islamist Justice and Development Party.

 

Morocco's King Mohammed VI on Tuesday Nov 29,2011 named Abdelilah Benkirane, the secretary general of the Justice and Development Party(PJD) as the country's next prime minister.(Under the country’s new constitution, the king must choose a prime minister from the party that won the most votes in the election)

 

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