A referendum on constitutional reforms was held in Morocco

Morocco

Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...

 on 1 July 2011. It was called in response to the protests

2011 Moroccan protests

The 2011 Moroccan protests are a series of demonstrations across Morocco and the Moroccan-controlled Western Saharan territory which began on 20 February 2011 and are influenced by other protests in the region.-Origin:...

 that took place earlier in the year demanding democratic reforms. A commission was to draft proposals by June 2011. A draft released on 17 June foresaw the following changes:

• forcing the King to name a Prime Minister from the largest party in Parliament
  Parliament of Morocco
  The Parliament of Morocco is located in Rabat, the capital of Morocco.- Composition :Since 1996, the national legislature has become bicameral and has therefore two parliamentary chambers:...
  
  ;
• handing a number of rights from the monarch to the PM, including dissolution of parliament
  Dissolution of parliament
  In parliamentary systems, a dissolution of parliament is the dispersal of a legislature at the call of an election.Usually there is a maximum length of a legislature, and a dissolution must happen before the maximum time...
  
  ;
• allowing parliament to grant amnesty
  Amnesty
  Amnesty is a legislative or executive act by which a state restores those who may have been guilty of an offense against it to the positions of innocent people, without changing the laws defining the offense. It includes more than pardon, in as much as it obliterates all legal remembrance of the...
  
  , previously a privilege of the monarch;
• making Berber
  Berber languages
  The Berber languages are a family of languages indigenous to North Africa, spoken from Siwa Oasis in Egypt to Morocco , and south to the countries of the Sahara Desert...
  
   an official language alongside Arabic
  Arabic language
  Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
  
  

The changes were reportedly approved by 98.49% of voters. Despite protest movements calling for a boycott of the referendum, government officials claimed turnout was 72.65%.

Following the referendum, early parliamentary elections

Moroccan parliamentary election, 2011

An early parliamentary election was held in Morocco on 25 November 2011, brought forward from 2012 and then postponed from 7 October 2011.Public protests as part of the Arab Spring in February 2011 led King Mohammed VI to announce an early election, a process of constitutional reform granting new...

 were held on 25 November 2011.

Details

The set of political reforms approved consisted of the following:

• The Amazigh language is an official state language along with Arabic
  Arabic language
  Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
  
  .

• The state preserves and protects the Hassānīya language and all the linguistic components of the Moroccan culture as a heritage of the nation

• The king has the obligation to appoint a prime minister from the party that wins the most seats in the parliamentary elections. Previously, he could nominate a technocrat in this position if no party has a decisive advantage over the other parties in terms of the number of seats in the parliament
  Assembly of Representatives of Morocco
  The Moroccan Parliament has two chambers. The Assembly of Representatives has 325 members elected for a five year term, 295 elected in multi-seat constituencies and 30 in national lists consisting only of women. The other chamber is the Assembly of Councillors.-See also:* Assembly of Councillors*...
  
  .

• The king is no longer "sacred" but the "integrity of his person" is "inviolable"

• High administrative and diplomatic posts (including ambassadors, CEOs of state-owned companies, provincial and regional governors), are now appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the ministerial council which is presided by the king, previously the latter exclusively held this power.

• The prime minister is the head of government and president of the council of government, he has the power to dissolve the parliament.

• The prime minister will preside over the council of Government, which prepares the general policy of the state. Previously the king held this position.

• The parliament has the power of granting amnesty. Previously this was exclusively held by the king

• The judiciary system is independent from the legislative and executive branch, the king guarantees this independence

• Women are guaranteed "civic and social" equality with men. Previously, only "political" equality was guaranteed, though the 1996 constitution grants all citizens equality in terms of rights and before the law

• The King would retain complete control of the armed forces, foreign policy and the judiciary; authority for choosing and dismissing prime ministers and he would retain control of matters pertaining to religion.

• All citizens have the freedom of: thought, ideas, artistic expression and creation. Previously only free-speech and the freedom of circulation and association were guaranteed.

Results

External links

• Full text of the proposed new Constitution: Arabic, French