Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Abderrahim Chalfaouat
-
Moroccan politics and the king’s revenge
Despite high popularity and a large election win after a relatively successful governmental mandate, the Justice and Development Party (PJD) is facing its most intriguing situation post-2011. Abdelilah Benkirane’s five-month perseverance effort to protect the public has been dashed not only by the royal decision to task Saad Eddine...
-
The Moroccan government impasse has a number of potential scenarios
Among his most recent media coverage, Abdelilah Benkiran, designated as Morocco’s head of government, reaffirmed the halting of government-forming negotiations. After four months of trying, he admits bluntly to the absence of serious negotiators. The situation deals a blow to democratisation promises from the highest political authorities in post-2011...
-
A sad time for Morocco’s nascent democracy
While the Moroccan public are increasingly irritated at the obstacles delaying the formation of the second post-2011 government, the three-month political void does little to reward voters’ perseverance on 7 October. Last year’s election saw most party leaders abstaining from participating in person; their campaigns were timid in recognition...
-
Respect election results or lose Moroccans’ support for democratisation
Describing the 7 October elections in Morocco as a political earthquake is no exaggeration. Given the mounting levels of literacy and social media savvy, votes in cities were expected to favour candidates who keep an arm’s-length from the state. Yet, even roadmaps drawn for countryside or poor or illiterate...
-
Morocco’s stalemate over forming a new government legitimises previous reforms
As the second post-2011 government has lingered in Morocco’s corridors of power for more than two months, optimistic and grim scenarios have been suggested. Among other options, Justice and Development Party (PJD) leaders have expressed their readiness for another election. They are depending on the party’s positive reputation since...
-
Anger over the crushed fishmonger continues, but are officials listening?
When the late Mouhcine Fikri jumped into a garbage truck to save his fish from destruction, he was aware of the potential risks but did not expect that it would be the last thing that he’d ever do. His death in the truck set fire to the streets of...
-
Illiteracy facilitates corruption in Morocco, so education must be a priority
Moroccan governments have invested efforts and finance in the education system in the fight against illiteracy and poverty, or at least to tame their damaging effects on society. Nevertheless, events within and beyond educational buildings reveal the wide divide between public policies and the promised levels of progress in...
-
Morocco’s PJD learns from Arab Spring by promoting reform and preserving stability
In the run-up to the 7 October legislative elections in Morocco campaigning is well under way, with the main political parties engaged in different strategies. The Establishment-backed Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) promises to save the country from collapse, turning a blind eye to the government’s efforts of the...
-
Political success in Morocco will help whole Arab region
The third commemoration of the Rabaa and Nahda massacres forces us to revisit two issues, at least. The first is the international community’s phoney treatment of a bloody military coup. Hundreds were killed in civilian sit-ins that demanded ballot box respect, while influential countries rushed to justify the crime....
-
Corruption is crippling Morocco’s nascent democracy
Several months ago, Moroccan foreign relations reached a political impasse. The Sahara affair, more particularly, led the kingdom’s relations with the UN secretary general, the US, the EU and some Arab and African states to falter. A sudden policy change has commingled foreign investment with political cards to create...
-
Sahara developments mean testing times for Moroccan diplomacy
In a region of rapidly escalating instability, Morocco is trying to concretise the recipe for reform and stability. Nevertheless, government officials complain frequently about recurrent signs of despotism in the country, fuelled by political and media preparations for the October elections. Hence, the unsteady democratisation process is a test...
-
There’s more than a misunderstanding in Morocco-US relations
When the King of Morocco addressed Gulf leaders in Riyadh recently and denounced foreign powers’ double standards in the region, the US State Department’s annual human rights report was already online. It came out ahead of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) meeting in April,...
-
Is the UN Sahara report mere ink on paper?
Disagreement over Ban Ki-moon’s position on the Sahara affair peaked in March. Consequently, the UN’s annual April meeting to renew the mandate for the Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) was expected to add fuel to the fire. Despite being a personal opinion, Ban’s Sahara “occupation” comments...
