MOROCCO: Interest Declines in a Parliament Under Monarchy

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Abderrahim El Ouali

CASABLANCA, Nov 9 2007 (IPS) - New moves towards some form of democracy are on offer in this North African nation ruled by a king. But there seems to be little faith in them, and there are relatively few takers.

Only 37 percent of the electorate took part in the parliamentary elections Sep.7. Of more than 15 million voters on electoral lists, hardly some 5.5 million voted.

“The main cause is historical,” political analyst Mohammed Goudou told IPS. “Moroccans have been politically marginalised for more than 40 years now.” The government has done little to help, he said. “It has been resisting any action to organise citizens.”

Political activism was criminalised in Morocco for decades. In the 1960s, many political activists were imprisoned and executed during what came to be known as ‘the years of lead’ under King Hassan II, who ruled from 1961 to 1999.

After the accession of his son, King Mohammed VI, a process of reconciliation with victims was launched. But this did not completely deal with popular fears about political activism.

“If we look at the results of political studies into the relationship between young people and politics, we find that public interest in politics has been decreasing,” Goudou said.

Youth interest in political matters was high when Morocco won independence from France and Spain in 1956, Goudou said. “In 1959, a study on Moroccan young people showed that they were very keen to take part in politics, which was due to the fact that Morocco had just gained independence.”

Studies by the mid-1960s “show that young people became different from what they had been,” Goudou said. “They were now waiting for the state to do everything for them, and had no will to participate in developing solutions. That made those ‘the years of lead’.”

But even then, interest in political matters was greater than now – if official figures are an indication. Participation in the 1984 elections was 67 percent. That came down to 51 percent in 2002. This year it fell to 37 percent.

People now have a negative perception of the political class and consider it ‘the source of evil’, Goudou said.

But the state is not entirely to blame; political parties too must take responsibility, many Moroccans say. “The relationship between political parties and citizens has become meaningless,” 38-year-old worker Said Stitou told IPS. “There is a complete rupture between political parties and the great majority of citizens.”

Morocco, with a population of 32 million, has 36 political parties. Thirty-three of these took part in the September elections to a 325-seat parliament, in which 30 seats are reserved for women candidates from national lists.

The parties are divided mainly between socialists, Islamists and liberals.

Parliament can vote legislation to determine offences and penalties, and on penal and civil procedure. It can vote on nationalisation or privatisation, and in some economic, social and cultural areas.

But it has no real powers in relation to the King “who may dissolve the two houses of parliament or one thereof by royal decree” under Article 27 of the constitution.

The new parliament was opened by the King Oct. 12, and later elected its president and committees.

The system of national lists introduced in 2002 had been expected to encourage participation in elections. Under this system parliament members would come from party lists in proportion to their vote. But the system has clearly done little to encourage participation in political activity.

One reason is “the lack of credibility of the political parties,” Said Stitou said. “They do not care about citizens, and young people especially. I have never seen a political party communicating with citizens except at the time of election campaigns.”

But within what is commonly thought of as political indifference, there can be an element of “passive resistance,” Goudou said.