Morocco votes on revised constitution

AL Jazeera Africa

Revisions give some of the king's powers to the prime minister and the parliament while keeping him as a power-broker. Last Modified: 01 Jul 2011 08:18

Thousands rally in support of the reforms, but critics say the changes do not extend far enough [Reuters] ? Moroccans are voting in a referendum on a revised constitution seeking to curb King Mohammed VI's near absolute powers in the north African nation. Mohammed announced the referendum last month in what is widely seen as a move to ward off "Arab Spring" street protests sweeping the region. Polls opened at 8am (0700 GMT) and were to close at 7pm with preliminary results expected on Friday or early on Saturday. About 13 million of the country's 32 million people were registered to vote. Pro-democracy movements in Morocco have been calling for more rights and greater freedoms since the beginning of the Arab Awakening earlier this year. The revised constitution grants the government executive powers, but retains the king at the helm of the army, religious authorities and the judiciary and still allows him to dissolve parliament, though not unilaterally as is the case now. Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting from Rabat, the capital, said voters were more concerned about other issues than the powers the king holds. "The issue in Morocco is not just curbing the powers of the monarchy, which has been at the very centre of political life for the past 13 centuries," he said. "What is ... interesting for Moroccans is to see how this new constitution is going to be implemented. They would like to see wages going higher; less unemployment; more transparent political systems; less political corruption; less mismanagement of public funds ... and a vibrant parliament. "This is going to be a very long, protracted political process that starts today with the reform of the constitution and then elections, which are expected in October." King's concessions On June 17, Mohammed, who took over the world's longest-serving dynasty in 1999, conceded some of his political powers to the prime minister and the parliament while keeping his role as a power broker. "We have managed to develop a new democratic constitutional charter," he said in a televised speech, adding that the constitution "enshrines a citizenship-based monarchy". But critics say the changes do not go far enough and a low turnout could still spur demands for bolder changes. The country's February 20 Movement has continued to hold protests, organised through websites such as Facebook and YouTube, since the reforms were announced and maintains they do not go far enough. In a statement posted on its Facebook page on Friday, the movement called on its supporters to stay away from the polls. "We are calling for a boycott of this referendum because the constitution it proposes consecrates absolutism and will not make corruption disappear," it said. The street movement has not been as extensive as those which toppled the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt. It is calling merely for the king's powers to be reduced to those wielded by the British or Spanish monarchs, rather than for him to step down altogether. But while Mohammed's personal popularity may swing many voters in favour of the reforms, the margin of victory could be eroded by resentment at what is seen as a wide disparity between rich and poor, and sense of alienation from the political elite.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

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