Protests in Morocco 2011/2012

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Protesters in Casablanca on May 15, 2011.

The 2011/2012 protests in Morocco were partly violent demonstrations influenced by the Arab Spring , organized by the February 20th Movement .

background

The Kingdom of Morocco is a constitutional monarchy and has been ruled by Mohammed VI since 1999 . ruled. According to the Moroccan constitution, the king has great power and he alone can request the resignation of the president. Morocco is considered a poor country, but largely politically stable.

procedure

Day of dignity

Mohammed VI , 2004

The day of dignity in Morocco was a Sunday on February 20, 2011 and the first day of popular protests that ultimately led to a new constitution . It is also translated as the day of pride. In the previous weeks, several people set themselves on fire in protest of social injustices.

End of January 2011 had four young Moroccans, including the 23-year-old Oussama El Khlifi belonged to a Facebook group, freedom and democracy, now established to their demand of a democratic constitution of the local Maghreb - monarchy under the 47-year-old King VI Mohammed . To be heard. The Facebook group grew to 3,400 members in a very short time and was able to gain 12,000 virtual supporters.

El Khlifi was the first to post a personal address for the campaign on the video portal YouTube . He then received anonymous death threats. He called for the "barrier of fear of the regime" to be torn down and for a new constitution. The government would have to resign and the parliament and the factions loyal to the king would have to be dissolved. Finally, he demanded that the government “implement the required reforms quickly” in order to “prevent a revolt whose outcome no one could foresee today”. The authority of the king, who had a reputation as a reformer, was not called into question. For the "Day of Dignity" rallies were called in around 20 cities in the North African country.

The Moroccan government spokesman and Minister of Communications , Khalid Naciri, said that the government was taking note of the announcement "very calmly". The country is "in a long-term and irreversible process of democratization and opening up".

The first reports about the number of participants in the rallies were far below the organizers' expectations. The state news agency MAP first put the number of demonstrators at 150, but later for the capital Rabat at 2000 and Casablanca at 1000. The information on the actual number of participants fluctuates widely.

The posters said “The people want a new constitution”. There were riots and there were no major clashes.

Further course

In response to the unrest and because of the numerous victims, the king announced political reforms in a televised address on March 10, 2011. Among other things, a new constitution should be drawn up by a commission, the prime minister should in future be accountable to parliament and the independence of the judiciary should be strengthened.

On March 20, 2011, demonstrations took place in several cities. These were organized by Islamist and radical left groups. Between 1,500 and 4,000 people took to the streets in the Moroccan capital of Rabat .

On April 25, 2011, thousands demonstrated in Rabat , Casablanca and other cities for political reform. In addition to calling for democratization, the demonstrators also turned against corruption and torture as well as the lack of economic prospects, especially among young people. There were also rallies in rural areas. In the small town of Tiznit in the south of the country, supporters of the 20 février movement demonstrated against corruption in the healthcare sector.

On June 17, 2011, King Muhammad VI. Details of the announced constitutional reform known. According to this, the king should lose some of his previous rights and no longer be the spiritual head of all Moroccans as before. He should also be obliged to choose the head of government from the party with the most seats in parliament. In addition, the Berber language Tamazight was to be given equal rights with Arabic and a clearer separation between the judiciary and the executive was planned.

On July 1, 2011, the new constitution was confirmed in a referendum by 98 percent of the voters. Morocco strives for reforms and socio-political renewal with peaceful political strategies, which is why the country speaks of a "soft revolution" (Arabic: thaura silmiyya ).

Early parliamentary elections were held on November 25, 2011 , with the moderate Islamist Party for Justice and Development winning.

On January 21, 2012, the Moroccan government honored the dead in the protests as martyrs .

swell

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Five dead in riots in Morocco. Retrieved November 21, 2018 .
  2. ↑ Alexander Göbel: Mass protests in several cities: Thousands of Moroccans are calling for political reforms. In: tagesschau.de. March 25, 2011, archived from the original on April 27, 2011 ; Retrieved April 25, 2011 .
  3. ↑ Adrian Lobe: No medical treatment without baksheesh. In: zeit.de. May 5, 2011, accessed September 9, 2011 .
  4. ↑ Mohammed VI. Announces constitutional reform: Morocco's king wants to give up part of his power. In: tagesschau.de. Archived from the original on June 19, 2011 ; Retrieved June 18, 2011 .
  5. ↑ King wants to give up authority. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. June 18, 2011, accessed June 18, 2011 .
  6. ↑ Ingrid Thurner: Moroccan Autumn. The gentle revolution . In: International. The magazine for international politics . No. III , 2011, p. 11–15 ( international.or.at ( memento of July 6, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) [accessed October 15, 2011]).