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Morocco Page |
Welcome to ElectionInfo.com's pages on Morocco
Official Name: Kingdom of Morocco
Capital: Rabat
Area: 446,550 square kilometres( 172,414 square miles )
Major cities (Population)
Casablanca 3,289,000 (1995)
Rabat 1,578,000 (1995)
Marrakesh 1,517,000 (1990)
Fès 1,012,000 (1990)
Tangier 554,000 (1990)
Population: 27,028,000 (1995 estimate)
Type of government:Constitutional monarchy
Independence: 2 March 1956 (from France)
Constitution: 10 March 1972; revised 4 September 1992
Voting Rights: Universal at age 21
Government
European nations became involved in Morocco in the 19th century, and the country became a French protectorate in 1912. The French ruled until Morocco’s independence in 1956, when a constitutional monarchy was established. French influence is still strong in Morocco. The country remains a constitutional monarchy, but King Hassan II has broad powers as the head of state. The king names a prime minister and other ministers to run the government but he retains ultimate executive authority. Members of the legislature, called the Majlis Nawab, are elected partly by direct elections (for 222 seats) and partly by indirect elections (for 111 seats). There are several parties with relatively equal strength in the legislature. The voting age is 21.
Recent History
In 1975 Spain ceded control of what was called Spanish Sahara to Morocco and Mauritania, and it became known as Western Sahara. Mauritania withdrew from its occupied portion in 1979 and Morocco made Western Sahara a Moroccan province. A liberation movement called the Polisario Front had launched armed resistance against Spanish rule in 1973 and continued this fight against Moroccan rule. Morocco’s development of this region was also opposed by its neighbours, particularly Algeria.
A ceasefire sponsored by the United Nations (UN) came into effect in September 1991. A referendum was scheduled for 1992 to allow residents of Western Sahara to decide between Moroccan rule and independence. The UN had agreed to administer the referendum, but it was postponed indefinitely until it could be determined who would be allowed to vote. The Saharan people, known as the Sahrawi, are nomadic, roaming beyond, as well as within, the borders of Western Sahara; furthermore, many Sahrawi have emigrated to Morocco over the years, clouding issues of eligibility. In April 1997 the UN designated James Baker, the former United States secretary of state, to serve as its envoy to Western Sahara in hopes of reviving the stalled peace process.
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