Better than a thousand useless words is one word that gives peace.
~Buddha

Friday, July 1, 2011

Updates on Moroccan Constitution Reform Vote

Moroccans are going to the polls to vote on a series of constitutional amendments and reforms.
The vote, which represents the first constitutional referendum under the king's 12-year rule, has been described by one Moroccan newspaper as "a date with history".

The king himself has described the reforms as: "A decisive historic transition."

"I support the king, he keeps Morocco safe. It is not like Algeria and Yemen, it's stable here," Rachid Aboul-Hassan, a cab driver in the capital, Rabat, told the AP news agency.

"There are problems here, but we are taking small steps, slowly."

Under the draft constitution, the king remains as the head of state, the military, and the Islamic faith in Morocco, but the prime minister - to be chosen from the largest party elected to parliament - would take over as head of the government.

The reforms, the king has pledged, would reinforce the independence of the judiciary, boost efforts to tackle corruption, guarantee freedom of expression and gender rights and make Berber an official language, alongside Arabic.
Read more on some questions regarding the reforms here.

From the Q&A page, a list of key reforms:

1. The king will select a prime minister from the party that wins the most seats in parliament. At present, the king can make anyone prime minister.
2. A reference to the king as "sacred" in the constitution will be removed, though he will remain "inviolable".
3. The prime minister will be the head of government, not the king, and will gain the power to dissolve the lower house of parliament.
4. The prime minister will preside over the Government Council, which will prepare policy before presenting it to the cabinet.
5. Parliament will have more oversight of civil rights, electoral and nationality issues.
6. Women will be guaranteed "civic and social" equality with men. Previously, only "political" equality was guaranteed.
7. The Berber language will become an official state language along with Arabic.

Again, simply posting without commentary. Peace Corps rules, you know.

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