Officials were arrested and prosecuted for crimes ranging from assault and battery to petty bribery in all parts of Morocco and Western Sahara, but many cases are not brought to trial. The October session is opened by the King. At present, Morocco is divided into 16 regions: Each region is headed by a governor (wali) and includes of a varying number of provinces (covering rural areas) and prefectures (covering large urban areas). Women in particular are rarely aware of their rights. The Supreme Court hears appeals from lower courts and resolves jurisdictional disputes. Source: GFP review. When he died in 1927, he was succeeded by his son Mohammed V, who became the symbolic rallying point for a modern nationalist movement that asserted his legitimacy while trying to limit his powers. GIZ also provides support to its Moroccan partners in the fields of … Readers are advised to seek … PDF | Land in Morocco constitutes a basic resource seen as the most profitable and assured investment for many investors. One of the new constitutional provisions is that the regional councils should be elected by universal suffrage (Article 135): how could a democratically self-governing Western Sahara coexist with authoritarian Morocco? In criminal cases, there are court-appointed defence lawyers for indigent defendants who act pro bono, but there are no public defenders. If the committee cannot agree, the House of Representatives has the last word. Reform of the state-owned enterprise sector in Morocco has undergone three distinct phases: 1) structural reforms in the 1980s, 2) modernisation of th. By bringing together a multitude of OECD instruments and expertise in different areas of public governance, the … Second-level jurisdiction includes courts of appeal from the first-instance courts and criminal cases involving serious offences. Corporate Governance in Transition Economies Morocco Country Report June 2016 Prepared by: Gian Piero Cigna Ahmed Meziou With the assistance of: Nestor Advisors . PAM includes in its ranks members with different ideological leanings such as liberals, leftists, Islamists and royalists, suggesting a lack of a clear ideological direction. A new wave of parties emerged, many of them offshoots of second-generation parties. Offically a parliamentary constitutional democracy, in … As part of the policy under the French Protectorate of dividing Arabs from Berbers, the French authorities installed a system of customary law in the Berber areas. According to recent reports, Moroccan jihadists are continuing to join IS in Libya and are in... Morocco is still without a government. Morocco’s military strength in 2019. Please contact us in case of omissions concerning copyright-protected work. April 9, 2013. There are also specialized tribunals: a commercial court system that hears commercial cases involving large sums, with its own system of appeals; administrative courts that deal with initial cases involving the public authorities; independent audit courts that operate at the central and regional levels; and a separate Standing Tribunal of the Royal Armed Forces. The party won the municipal elections in 2009, and, with 47 seats, came fourth in the 2011 parliamentary elections. The Transition Fund was launched at the WB-IMF last annual meetings in Tokyo by the G8 Deauville … At the same time, the French established what was effectively a three-part legal system in Morocco. In 2003, terrorist crimes were added to the list, but the penalty has not been carried out since 1993 (although by August 2008 there were 150 prisoners on death row). By bringing together a multitude of OECD instruments and expertise in different areas of public governance… Religious personal-status law was maintained as the responsibility of Sharia courts for Muslims and rabbinical courts for Jews. In that year defectors from the OADP created the Democratic Socialist Party (Parti Socialiste Démocratique, PSD), former members of the OAPD set up the Front of Democratic Forces (Front des Forces Démocratiques, FFD), and, in yet another secession from the MP line, the Democratic and Social Movement (Mouvement Démocratique et Social, MDS) separated from Aherdane’s MNP. This was a rolling process, and the final stage in 1930 saw the promulgation of the famous Berber Dahir, which was envisioned as a tidying-up process under which tribal qaids (administrators) would deal with minor criminal matters under French law and civil matters according to what the French defined as Berber customary law. As a result, the executive is made up of members of the largest party or coalition of parties in the Parliament determined by the results of the general elections. The King used the parties as a way to divide the political forces. The previous elections were held on 25 November 2011, but voter turnout was low (45 per cent), indicating the lack of trust in the electoral system. The Commission proposed there be only twelve regions, covering larger areas and greater populations and with much greater autonomy. The system relies heavily on university academic performance: half the trainees have a law degree, and the rest have higher qualifications, but 80 percent have had no previous professional experience. Based on the Alexandria Protocol of 1944, the League of Arab States – commonly referred to as the Arab League – was founded in Cairo on 22 March 1945. Political Parties The latter was first enacted in 1957 and modified in 2004 and is by far the most controversial (see Women). The judicial system was subjected to interference by the authorities in political cases, and dissidents were arrested, held incommunicado for long periods, and tortured. Avec 189 États membres, des collaborateurs issus de plus de 170 pays et plus de 130 antennes à travers le monde, le Groupe de la Banque mondiale est un partenariat sans équivalent : cinq institutions œuvrant de concert à la recherche de solutions durables pour réduire la pauvreté et favoriser le partage de la prospérité dans les … The Constitutional Court has the task of ensuring that laws passed by Parliament are in conformity with the Constitution. He was appointed in November 2011, after elections, and heads a coalition including the centre-right nationalist Istiqlal, the liberal Popular Movement (Mouvement Populaire, MP), which has Berber roots, and the left-wing Party of Progress and Socialism (Parti du Progrès et du Socialisme, PPS; formerly the Parti Communiste du Maroc). Islamic law too is codified, in the Mudawana. Elected regional councils would control the local budget, supported by an Interregional Solidarity Fund. This is formalized in five codes that have been updated and revised at various times: Civil (1913), Penal (1962), Penal Procedure (1959), Commercial (1996), and Mudawana (for family law). Parliament passes laws: legislative bills are submitted to both chambers, and if they do not adopt an identical text, the government sets up a joint committee with equal representation to establish it. Most equipment has recently come from the United States; before that, the main supplier was France. Legal System Morocco has made access to drinking water a priority for many years. A taoutiq judge (who handles notary issues and issues concerning minors), assisted by aduls (religiously-trained clerks), applies the personal law in the first-instance court. The constitutional reforms undertaken by Morocco since the 2011 protests have modified legislative and institutional procedures, yet their real impact on governance needs to be assessed. In this new paper, Mohamed Benhlal analyzes Morocco’s recent constitutional amendments, which seemed, on paper, to make significance progress towards good governance… Increasing European hegemony led religiously inspired nationalists to overthrow him and replace him with one of his brothers, Abdelhafid. However, basing his analysis on governance indicators such as the Worldwide Governance Indicators and components of the Arab Democracy Index, Benhlal points out that the practice of governance of Morocco is not as positive as claimed in the political discourse. Other problems are the quality of legal personnel and difficulties of gaining access to the courts. Only one-quarter of judicial trainees are women, and 90 percent are from the cities, although only 55 percent of the population is urban. Full sessions are held in public. The constitutional reforms undertaken by Morocco since the 2011 protests have modified legislative and institutional procedures, yet their real impact on governance needs to be assessed. The Communist Party was legalized in 1937 and grew through the trade unions. The administrative-police functions include public order, public security, and traffic control on roads outside the cities. He used his constitutional power to appoint the Prime Minister (the leader of the largest party) and to approve and promulgate laws vigorously, repeatedly dissolved Parliament, rewrote the constitution several times, and rigged elections in favour of his supporters. Good governance The constitution, which entered into force in 2011, establishes more stringent requirements in terms of good governance and the performance of public institutions. Fanack provides an … This was a common model for early opponents of European imperialism in Africa and Asia. The acquired copyright protected images used on/as featured image of this page are: ©Hollandse Hoogte | ©Hollandse Hoogte | ©Fanack | ©Fanack | Fanack ©Fanack. That authority, baraka, is an inherited quality passed by genealogical descent from the founder of the Alaouite dynasty Moulay al-Cherif and his son Moulay al-Rashid (1666-1672), who seized power when the Saadi dynasty disintegrated in half a century of civil war. The Police. In the 2016 elections, the results were close for the two main parties: the PJD won 125 of the 395 seats whereas the Authenticity and Modernity Party took 102. Ensuring governance reform in Morocco … The Open Government Review of Morocco is the first of its kind analysing a country’s open government policies and practices and their institutional and legal frameworks for implementation against OECD instruments. In January 2017, Morocco signed a $91 million deal with Harris Corporation to provide AN/ALQ-211 Advanced Integrated Defensive Electronic Warfare Suite (AIDEWS) systems to help protect its RMAF F-16 aircraft fleet against electronic threats. A second generation of parties was founded between the late 1960s and early 1980s, the most repressive period of Hassan II’s rule. As a political official, the … In this new paper, Mohamed Benhlal analyzes Morocco’s recent constitutional amendments, which seemed, on paper, to make significance progress towards good governance. The concept of human rights has become a well-known and widely accepted term to use. Women were first recruited as uniformed officers in 1997. He could not resist European pressure and agreed to accept a protectorate, although the French authorities removed him as sultan. As all the constitutions make clear, the head of state is the King (or Sultan, in 1908) who is ‘Commander of the Faithful’ (amir al-muminin). Morocco: Corporate Governance Laws and Regulations 2020. The death penalty (by firing squad) can be applied for aggravated murder, torture, armed robbery, arson, treason, desertion, and attempts on the king’s life; it also exists in the military courts. In August 2015, Morocco signed a deal with Russia to purchase its first submarine, an Amur-1650, worth $340 million. The national civilian police force is the National Security (Sûreté Nationale), which is an armed force of about 60,000, under the Ministry of the Interior. First-instance courts hear civil cases related to persons or inheritances, and to social and commercial laws. Further experience has come from participating in peace-keeping operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Serbia, and Ivory Coast. Towards New Arrangements for State Ownership in the Middle East and North Africa Corporate governance of state-owned enterprises in Morocco… Matching expectations with opportunities for participation in civic life is also an important component in addressing security and stability in the country. The French did, however, maintain the institution of royal family and appointed another brother, Yusef, as sultan. At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, the reigning sultan, Abdelaziz, exhausted his money and power. Northern Morocco, particularly the region of Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima, has historically been an area where disenfranchised youth have been recruited into violent extremist activities. This study analyses initiatives undertaken in Morocco to support the management of critical risks. He notes an excessive focus on laws and institutional procedures that do not translate into the necessary transformation in the status of governance and the nature of the Moroccan political regime. Morocco is a monarchy, and has been ruled by members of the Alaouite dynasty since the beginning of the 17th century. According to Article 6 of the 2011 Constitution, the law ‘is the supreme expression of the will of the Nation’. The backbone of policing is the Royal Gendarmerie, part of the Royal Armed Forces, which comes under the Ministry of the Interior when it acts as the administrative police and under the Ministry of Justice when it acts as the Judicial Police (Police Judiciare), investigating crimes, gathering evidence, and bringing alleged perpetrators to court. The conservative Independence Party trailed in third place with 43 seats. Attempts by the Ministry of Justice to set up a multi-media public-awareness campaign on basic rights failed because of lack of funding. The Open Government Review of Morocco is the first of its kind analysing a country’s open government policies and practices and their institutional and legal frameworks for implementation against OECD instruments. Istiqlal was initially a grand coalition, but Ouezzani broke away to found the Democratic Independence Party (Parti Democratique et de l’Independence; PDI) in 1946, the same year that Ali Yata became the first Moroccan to lead the Communist Party of Morocco (Parti Communiste du Maroc, PC). Since independence, the civil- and criminal-law systems have been based on French, Spanish, and Islamic law, following French legal procedure. However, the country’s military costs are high, amounting to 10.1 per cent of total government spending in 2011. The 2011 US State Department Country Reports on Human Rights Practices in Morocco reported that corruption and the abuse of detainees were widespread among both National Security officers and gendarmes, undermining law enforcement and the judicial system. The reason is that formation of a coalition is much more difficult than expected . The party has been led by Ilyas el-Omari since January 2016. The United States Government, through USAID, is working closely with different political actors – political parties, government entities, civil society organizations (CSO), and civil society as a whole – to help them build their capacities, facilitate citizen participation, and ensure sustainable participatory governance. Interview with a Public Sector expert, Fabian Seiderer, on Governance in Morocco. Both chambers debate the government’s programme, but only the House of Representatives can vote it down. Despite criticisms that PAM is a political tool for the monarchy, the party came in second in the 2016 parliamentary elections, obtaining 102 seats. It positioned itself as a moderate Islamist party inspired by the Turkish Islamist movement and went on to become the biggest party in the elections in November 2011, when Benkirane became Prime Minister of a coalition government. In Morocco, internal demands for institutional reform backed by popular support have become a major lever in assisting to establish good governance in the country since early 2011. Thus, not all the new parties were entirely supportive of the regime: on the left, former members of the USFP and PPS set up the Organization for Democratic and Popular Action (Organisation de l’Action Démocratique et Populaire, OADP) in May 1983.