Contenu du sommaire : Le Maroc

The 2011 Constitution : A Mutation of Morocco's Political and Legal Orders
Offering a renewed definition of Morocco's political society, the country's new Constitution announces, above all, a dual transformation of the Moroccan political and legal orders. Regarding the first mutation, it provides a far-reaching rebalancing of powers, establishing the foundations of a system centered on the Prime minister and a majority democracy. In such a system, the monarch maintains an undeniable supremacy through a reinvented dualistic parliamentary regime. The second mutation, which reflects the willingness to strengthen the rule of law, reinforces the place of law in the normative framework and presents the Constitution as the guarantor of rights and liberties. These will be respected at two levels – subject, however, to the predominance accorded to Islam – through the introduction of an exception of unconstitutionality on the one hand, and the superiority of international norms over national legislation on the other. In doing so, Morocco is edifying a singular legal system and establishing an original political system, decisively veering towards the democratic ideal.

Mohammed VI as a reluctant despot
If one is to believe the international media, apparently impressed by the subtle way in which the Moroccan monarchy has played its cards in the context of the Arab spring, Mohammed VI is an enlightened young king open to democracy. A closer look, however, reveals that the Moroccan king keeps at his disposal the entire panoply of the oriental despot : absolute powers legitimized by divine law, unlimited personal wealth, and an outrageous cult of the personality... nothing is missing. Except, perhaps, the autocratic personality such a role requires.

Beyond “His Majesty's Opposition” : Mobilizations, Protests and Political Conflicts in Morocco
The 20th February Movement raises questions about the dynamics at play among the Moroccan opposition forces and, more generally, about the situation of political forces in the country. Within a limited pluralist system, dominated by the monarchy and in which political dissent has often been neutralized by force as much as by persuasion (or cooptation), some may be tempted to update a model often summoned to describe the relationships between the monarch and political elites : that of a shrewd but unstoppable defusing of any form of dissent. It is possible, though, to tell the social and political history of the Moroccan oppositions in a very different manner. The articles looks at various forms of protest, mobilizations and political conflicts and demonstrates that the spaces of the opposition vary considerably ; they are negotiated rather than fixed in advance from above ; they are sites of practices and commitments that reinvent and adapt themselves according to the stakes, the circumstances and the repression.

The Emergence of Judicial Power in the 2011 Constitution
The new Moroccan Constitution acknowledges the existence of a real judicial power and establishes a new body to guarantee its independence, the Superior Council of the Judiciary, vested with wide powers regarding the monitoring of magistrates and judiciary policy. This reform, together with a transformation of the framework of constitutional litigation, provides Morocco with an innovative and effective constitutional instrument. However, this reform is dependent on the organic laws required for its implementation.

The Other Morocco
Morocco five years from now, in the aftermath of the “Cumin Revolution” : through such a projection and without any recourse to political fiction, the article draws an a posteriori balance sheet of the current stalemate by looking at the solutions proposed. Such a reversal of perspective makes it possible to raise old questions, left unanswered, in a new form. The Monarchy, political Islam, the economy, immigration, the daily struggles to live one's life, the tensions between the generations, between modernity and tradition – all these aspects are reviewed from the perspective of the near future. In this light, the “new Morocco” seems like a pipe dream, the confinement of the country into a waiting room following the current wait-and-see policy, a real utopia. Yet, the other Morocco – a country where life would be easy and pleasant – is within reach.

Political Islam in Morocco
The article questions the “political Islam” category and looks back at how it has been applied to Morocco. It shows that this category includes not only what is usually referred to as “Islamic movements” but also other actors, such as the colonial Republic or the Moroccan monarchy which have used Islam in their political strategies of domination. The article also looks at democratic reformism through the example of the Party of Justice and Development (pjd) which has controlled the government since the November 25 elections, but whose role remains limited due to the important powers of the King that are not submitted to any principle of political responsibility.

The Prevention of Corruption in Morocco : Between Rhetoric and Reality
The article tries to assess the current situation of corruption in Morocco. It illustrates the paradoxical situation of a widespread corruption – confirmed by all the indicators –, a rather well-developed normative framework further strengthened by the new constitutional provisions since June 2011, and a political discourse that expresses a strong determination to fight it.

The Lost Spring of the Press
For Moroccan political journalists, the first decade of the 21th century was one of audacity and success. However, what had begun with hope and enthusiasm ended in bitterness and collapse. Former director of the country's two best-selling weeklies during this period, Ahmed Benchemsi, tells the story of the “Spring” of the Moroccan press.

Change of Course and Political Transition in Morocco and Tunisia
A comparative analysis of political transitions in Morocco and Tunisia reveals that even though the king remains the key player of the political system, change is nevertheless real in Morocco. Taking advantage of the new area of freedom granted by a period of openness – however strategic – and by the contagious effect of the upheavals in neighbouring countries, the new forms of protest and the expectations of Moroccans are radically different today. In Tunisia, despite the revolution, the break with the past is far from being radical. The transition is conducted in reference to “the spirit and the values of the revolution”, while keeping many institutions and practices from the past. In spite of all this, the dynamics of a real and profound change is definitively underway.

Morocco and the Arab Spring
Morocco is emerging from its Middle Ages, but it is doing so very slowly and in a confused manner. The old model of society, based on feudal conservatism, patriarchal authoritarianism, predation and unearned income, repression and corruption, is condemned by sociological, economic, political and technological evolutions. However, it does not give way easily in front of political and social inertia due partly to the eviction, repression, corruption and the undermining of the credibility of the elites carried out by the palace since independence, as well as to the fear of destabilization (by Islamic, military or secessionist forces). Thus, the spaces of liberalization recently conceded make for a political game that is more fluid, transparent and better sanctioned by the will of the people. However, the elites now in power, and those who could reach power by popular elections in a near future, remain in great part prisoners of the authoritarian, paternalistic, clientelist and rentier logic. This will probably prevent the emergence of a true and active democracy for one or more decades, the time necessary for a younger generation to emerge and for democratic customs to impose themselves.