The winds of the "Arab Spring" were
channeled by Morocco to expand and consolidate democracy and
accelerate the pace of political reforms. His Majesty,The King
Mohammed VI, announced in March 2011 a profound constitutional
reform, which was largely supported by the Moroccan people through
a referendum.
By consolidating the principle of separation of powers and the
independence of the judiciary, the new constitution gives wider
powers to the Head of Government, appointed by the King from the
party which wins elections, and to strengthen the provisions
relating to the control of the government by the two chambers of
Parliament. The new constitution has also paved the way for the
organization of new legislative elections in November 2011.
By choosing the way of the evolution of political institutions of
the country, Morocco has pursued the reforms undertaken in the
1990s. Needless to say, the Moroccan monarchy has a historical and
religious legitimacy and has always been the symbol of the state's
continuity and the guarantor of national unity and stability.
In this respect, the democratic process was launched two decades
back when the late King, His Majesty Hassan II, had initiated a
series of reforms in the political and economic fields, opening
the door for a new era of democratic transition. This concerned,
among other things, many steps for the promotion of human rights
and the protection of freedom of expression and, mostly, the
decision to establish a new government of 'alternance', led by
parties from the opposition.
Since the enthronement of His Majesty The King Mohammed VI in
1999, Morocco has witnessed a movement of unprecedented reforms in
all areas.
In this regard, the reform of the "Family Code", which
revolutionized the status and empowerment of women in Morocco,
introduced a range of measures that enhance women's equality in
terms of marriage, divorce and taking care of children and impose
strict legal restrictions on polygamy. Moreover, the launch of the
National Initiative for Human Development (NIHD), aimed at the
development of disadvantaged regions and the fight against social
exclusion, marginalization and poverty. Many actions have been
taken to support income-generating activities and improve access
to services and basic infrastructure (education, health, roads,
water and sanitation, environmental protection, etc.).
The dynamics of reforms does not end here. Other key reforms are
underway and new ones will certainly be considered in future if
need be. For instance, there is the project "advanced
regionalization", which will allow Morocco to build a new model of
territorial governance and establish a new relationship between
the central government and regional entities. Also, the reform of
justice aims primarily at consolidating independence of the
judiciary, modernizing its regulatory framework, upgrading its
structures and improving legal certainty.
Thus, what makes the Moroccan model distinctive is it has always
made "evolution within continuity" a guiding principle of its
political practice.
Since its independence, the Kingdom of Morocco has made the
irreversible choice of political pluralism and economic
liberalism. The right to property and freedom of initiative are
part of the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
The Moroccan economy is an economy characterized by a large
opening towards the outside world. Since the early 1980s, Morocco
has adopted a policy of economic and financial openness. The main
goal of that policy is to strengthen the liberalization of foreign
trade, to help for greater integration into the world economy, and
to contribute to the consolidation of the multilateral trading
system.
In recent years, the priority has been given to modernize and
diversify the economy to be more competitive, to build world-class
infrastructure and to improve the business and investment
environment. A vast program of industrialization has been
conducted to make Morocco one of the leading countries in
promising and value-added sectors, like automobile, electronics,
and aeronautics. This policy has contributed in attracting
important investments by major multinational companies, such as
Renault, Bombardier, Tata and Dell.
During the last decade, Morocco has launched large-scale projects
aimed at elevating its infrastructure to international standards.
Among these projects are the Tanger-Med Port (one of the largest
ports in the Mediterranean region and in Africa), a modern highway
network connecting all the major cities, 15 international airports
(largest airport hub in the region) and the ongoing construction
of a high-speed railway project (from Tangiers to Marrakesh).
The major economic reforms undertaken together with the ongoing
implementation of several ambitious mega-projects and sector-based
strategies have started to give good results, especially with the
continuous increase of the GDP.
Larbi Reffouh is
Morocco's Ambassador to India. The piece is an extract from an
address at a conference on Maghreb and India. He can be contacted
at larbireffouh@hotmail.com
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