Morocco's 2011 Constitutional Reforms

On July 1, 2011, Moroccans went to the polls to vote in a referendum on proposed constitutional reforms that very slowly, very incrementally, appear to slightly diminish the authoritarian rule of King Mohammed VI while giving more power to the Moroccan Parliament and opposition voices. But the reforms sound better than they are: Mohammed VI remains the authoritarian ruler he has always been. And the referendum itself was suspect: It was approved by an unlikely 98.5 percent of the vote, even though a coalition of leftists, dissidents and Islamists had protested in Morocco's streets and called for a boycott of the referendum.

The king proposed the reforms himself in March 2011, in response to the surge in popular revolts across the Arab world--revolts against decades of authoritarian, repressive rule by regimes that brook no dissent, little to no opposition, and little to no meaningful electoral participation.

Mohammed VI has been among the Arab world's more benevolent dictators. But he has nevertheless been a dictator by every definition of the word: ultimate authority lies with him, whether it is parliamentary, judiciary or executive. He maintains absolute control of the military. The reforms are likely to buy Mohammed VI some time, but not to ensure Morocco's for of authoritarian monarchy.

It is also notable that when Mohammed VI acceded to the throne in 1999, following the death of his brutally autocratic father, Hassan II, Mohammed made numerous, and similar, promises of opening up the Moroccan government to opposition voices, lightening the hand of government on dissidents, pledging support for human rights and gender equality, and touting the freedom of the press. He followed through, in his early years, only to crack down in subsequent years, with disturbing attacks on minority Shiites and homosexuals, for example.

"Before, we had an absolute monarch, now we have an absolute monarch that is a pope as well," Elaabadila Chbihna, an activist with the February 20 movement that has carried out weekly pro-democracy marches around the country, told the BBC. The reforms are as follows:

• Human Rights are recognized as a core principle in Morocco.
• Berber is recognized as an official language on par with Arabic.
• Gender equality is recognized. That's notable but not revolutionary: in the entire Arab world, more women in Morocco work outside the home than in any other country except Lebanon.
• The prime minister is the head of the government and is selected from the party that receives the most votes in an election, rather than by the king. But parties may still be restricted to those the king approves of.
• The prime minister will choose and dismiss cabinet members.
• Governors, among the most powerful figures in the country, will still be chosen by the king.
• King Mohammed VI, who claims to be a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, advertising the claim with ostentation, is no longer "sacred," but he remains "Commander of the Faithful,"

The New York Times summed up the constitutional referendum this way: "For now the electoral victory in Morocco remains largely symbolic. King Mohammed VI proposed the referendum himself, but the revisions to the Constitution it allowed ensure that he maintains nearly absolute political power and unquestioned control over the military. And the Constitution’s ability to bring real change to this centuries-old monarchy will largely depend on how the text is applied to everyday politics.

"But supporters of the new Constitution argue that moving slowly may be the surest way to achieve sustainable change, and analysts say that even baby steps may be enough to inspire others in the region to follow suit eventually. At the least, the events in Morocco provide a striking counterpoint to those in Egypt and Tunisia, where leaders’ concessions appeared to work against them, emboldening protesters."