Rival groups march over king's reforms in Morocco

CASABLANCA, Morocco — Thousands of rival demonstrators marched through cities in Morocco on Sunday over constitutional reforms proposed by King Mohammed after unrest inspired by "Arab Spring" uprisings in the Arab world.

Critics of the reforms say they do not go far enough to reduce his powers. The march against the monarch's measures was the latest in a wave of protests in the North African state and comes days before a July 1 referendum on the reform plan.
"We reject the offers made (by the king). They keep the essence of authority in the hands of a non-elected person who will not be subject to any form of accountability," said Hamid, a jobless 38-year-old among 7,000 protesters who marched through a working class suburb of Casablanca, Morocco's largest city.

Aziz Yaakoubi, a member of the "February 20" pro-democracy street movement named after its founding date, said two of the protesters were injured after being pelted with stones by a group of rival demonstrators in favor of the king's reform.
A smaller rally of about 2,000 people opposed to the king's proposals marched through the capital Rabat, separated from rival marchers by dozens of baton-wielding riot police.
"The police encircled us, they didn't let us march to the parliament," said Najib Chawki, one of the coordinators of the movement, which is urging supporters to boycott the vote. "It shows that the powers in Morocco have no interest in changing."
The 47-year-old king unveiled the reforms this month after some of the largest street protests the Arab world's longest-serving dynasty has seen for decades. His fortunes are being watched by other monarchs, notably in the Gulf.

PREACHERS TOLD TO BACK REFORM
The new charter still allows him to name a prime minister -- but this time only from the party that wins most seats at parliamentary elections -- and to vet appointments of other ministers and suggest the termination of their mandates.
It explicitly grants the government executive powers, but it keeps the king at the helm of the army, religious authorities and the judiciary and still allows him to dissolve parliament, though not unilaterally as it is the case now.
The Moroccan street movement has not won the mass support that toppled leaders of Tunisia and Egypt and does not demand an end to the monarchy. It focuses instead on the king's perceived growing business influence and his grip on the political system.
National income per head in Morocco was $2,810 in 2009, according to the World Bank, higher than Egypt's $2,070.
But Morocco ranks 13 places below Egypt at 117th in the United Nations' Human Development Index, a measure of quality of life based on factors such as child welfare and life expectancy.
"Surely there is graft and a lot of oppression. But the new constitution will change everything," said 19-year-old Casablanca resident Karim Azhari.
"It will bring state education up to the same level as the private sector and it will reduce unemployment," he said. Asked why he thought that, he replied: "That's what they tell us."
Authorities on Friday ordered mosque preachers to urge worshippers to vote for the reform, saying it would be unIslamic to disobey the king, described in sermons as "God's appointee."
Mustapha Nazih, a cleric at a pro-reform march in Casablanca organized by Boutchichiya Zawiya, one of Morocco's biggest and wealthiest sufi schools, said he had come all the way from the town of Beni Mellal, 300 km (190 miles) from Casablanca.
"We didn't have to pay for the bus fare. The Islamic Affairs Ministry asked us to come to Casablanca and we did so happily."

Morocco braces for clashes over reform plans

RABAT — Moroccan officials are organising local inhabitants to confront pro-democracy demonstrators planning a peaceful protest on Sunday, rights activists said.
"Violence targeting the youth of the February 20 movement backed by local authorities is dangerous and is worrying," the Moroccan Human Rights Association (AMDH) wrote in a letter to the interior ministry.

"Authorities are taking advantage of the inhabitants' socio-economic hardships to set them up against the young people who demonstrate peacefully," it added.
Journalist Khalid Jamai working for the news website mamfakinch.com ("We will not give up") linked to the movement wrote: "Thanks to this strategy, the central power intends to sub-contract its repression."
Communication Minister Khalid Naciri rejected the activists' claims, writing to AFP of "spontaneous gatherings of people who support the government's project for constitutional reform."
And most political parties have called for "massive" counter-rallies every day across Morocco until June 30 to support the king's proposals, which are to be put to a referendum on July 1.
Pro-democracy demonstrators have rejected constitutional reforms proposed by King Mohammed VI earlier this month to curb his power.
They involve boosting the authority of the prime minister, who would become the "president of the government".
But the February 20 Movement says the reforms do not go far enough, and last week around 10,000 people turned out at a peaceful rally in Casablanca.
The movement, named for the day of its first protest, was inspired by the pro-democracy groups that have sprung up across the Arab world.
For the government, Naciri said of the statement protesting against the counter-demonstrators: "It is unfair to describe them in such a negative way."
"We are so confident about the support we have from the majority of the population that these are just some dissonant voices trying to shake us."
The 47-year-old monarch, who took over the Arab world's longest-serving dynasty in 1999, currently holds virtually all power in the Muslim country. And as the Commander of the Faithful, he is also its top religious authority.
Under the new draft constitution to be put to the referendum, the king would remain head of state and the military, and would still appoint ambassadors and diplomats.
He would also retain the right to name top officials of unspecified "strategic" administrations.
The French-language weekly Tel Quel responded sceptically to the proposed reforms in its Saturday publication.
"King more than ever," it wrote. "Mohammed VI gives a bigger leeway to the prime minister... but he cedes nothing on his prerogatives."
The Islamist Justice and Charity group, a important social group in the country, has also rejected the proposals and said it would participate in Sunday's rally.

The promotion of Morocco and the natural sports targeted

The first edition of the Grand Raid Djebelya which will run from June 28th to July 28th, 2011, aims at contributing to the promotion of Morocco and natural sports.

The Djebelya Grand Raid is an endurance multi-sport event spread over 2,500 km through out Morocco. It is initiated by Mounir Essayegh, a natural sports passionate, and Arnaud Mollaret, horseback riding professor in Casablanca. So for a month, this competition which aims to lead the raiders from a sea to another, using only natural sports, will cross more than 13 provinces in 24 stages. Presented as a "race against oneself" which stresses on endurance, the objective of the raid is also to promote citizen tourism through natural sports. The programme includes events full of audacity and originality, which will respectively the spotlight different sports: kayaking, mountain bike, trek, walking, horseback riding, swimming, etc. The first stage of the raid will consist of a crossing of the Atlantic from the Canary Islands to Tarfaya in kayak. After a series of events organized, for the first part, in the South, followed by others in the North, for the second part of the raid, including the Strait crossing by swimming, the arrival is scheduled for July 28th at the beach of Cabo Negro, on the Mediterranean.

Behind-the-Scenes Look at Wis. Military in Morocco

Five soldiers from central Wisconsin are home after serving part of the summer in Africa. The 1158th Transportation Company hauled tanks and tractors for military training in Morocco.
Five soldiers from central Wisconsin are home after serving part of the summer in Africa. The 1158th Transportation Company hauled tanks and tractors for military training in Morocco.

"When we're doing stay-at-home missions we're on roads with American traffic versus the traffic here which is a lot different," said Sgt. Korin Saal from the base just a couple weeks ago. "They're crazy drivers here."

Saal us a national guard truck operator from Schofield who spent three weeks in the Moroccan Sahara Desert. She's not only responsible for driving her vehicle, but keeping it running.

"They're expensive, huge, have lots of parts, lots of pieces to them," said Saal. "I'm in charge of that truck. I'm in charge of making sure it gets from point a to point b in one piece safely."

Back home it's her family hoping she comes back in one piece and safely. After a deployment to Iraw in 2006, her parents say any time spent overseas is stressful.

"We're very nervous, we're thinking of her every day and wondering if she is ok," said Carol Saal. "We could send her texts so we would send her texts every day, every 5 minutes somebody was texting her to let her know that we were thinking of her."

"My mom just had heart surgery so it has kind of been crazy health-wise," said Korin. "I always try to get some contact home as much as possible just to see how they're doing."

"I was watching the History Channel and they were talking about the most dangerous roads in the world," said her father Irv Saal recallin Korin's time in Iraq. "Knowing that my daughter is driving from the Iraqui airport to Baghdad every day and that was listed as one of the most dangerous roads to drive on in the world, that didn't leave me any piece of mind."

This summer Korin Saal got back in time for Father's Day, and for a different type of labor.

"I went and had her get a 50 lbs. bag of dog food for him (Lucky the dog) and it's nice when I can say I'll send the Sergeant in to go get the dog food. She's got a way stronger back than me."

The national guard keeps her a weekend a month and a few weeks in the summer. It's a dirty job, but somebody looks forward to doing it.

"I love this," saud Korin. "Getting all dirty and greasy and gross and tom-boyish and then to come back here and get all prim and proper."

In all, about 900 military members will train in Morocco this summer.

Moroccan New Constitution analysed

I.  Next generation Constitution:

1.            Beyond the organization and distribution of powers (State institutions Constitution), there is a confirmation of a true citizens’ Charter (Constitution for the Citizens). It provides for a State organization system based on advanced regionalization (local and regional dimension in the Constitution) and for a culture of responsibility and accountability (good governance Constitution) ;

2.            Coherence and modernity both in terms of form (180 - instead of 108 previously - Articles well-articulated under 14 Chapters) and in terms of modern wording of the Preamble, which is an integral part of the Constitution and of constitutional provisions (gender-sensitive approach).

II. Democratic, inclusive and transparent approach (Constitution drawn up by Moroccans, for all Moroccans):

3.            Address of 9 March, 2011: democratic frame of reference set out by His Majesty for a sweeping constitutional revision

4.            Advisory Committee for the revision of the Constitution: Hearing sessions and reception of the memoranda of all stakeholders (political parties, trade unions, civil society groups and youth representatives) and preparation of an innovative draft Constitution;

5.            Follow-up and consultation through a political mechanism: effective participation of all political parties and trade unions in preparing the draft Constitution, from beginning to end.

III. Confirming the fundamental constituents of the diversified, open Moroccan identity:

6.            A sovereign Moslem State, committed to the ideals of openness, moderation, tolerance and dialogue to foster mutual understanding among all civilizations;

7.            A Nation whose unity is based on the fully endorsed diversity of its constituents: Arabic, Amazigh, Hassani, Sub-Saharan, African, Andalusian, Jewish and Mediterranean components ;

IV. A revisited linguistic pact grounded in pluralism and open attitude:

8.            The official status of the Arabic language has been enhanced; official status granted to the Amazigh language with a gradual integration process (schools and main public sectors) ;

9.            Active, harmonious linguistic and cultural policy geared towards the protection and promotion of national and official languages, and encouraging the learning of foreign languages which foster openness and permit access to the knowledge-based society ;

10.        Creation of a national Council for the promotion of languages and the Moroccan culture.

V. A full-fledged Charter of fundamental rights and freedoms rooted in the universal frame of reference for human rights:

11.    Primacy of the international conventions duly ratified by the Kingdom over domestic laws;

12.    Prohibiting all forms of discrimination on the basis of sex, colour, creed, culture, social or regional background, language or disability;

13.    Strengthening a full-fledged architecture of rights and freedoms worthy of advanced democratic societies: right to life ; right to personal security and that of property ; prohibition of torture and of all serious, systematic violations of human rights; presumption of innocence and right to fair trial ; freedom of thought, of opinion and of expression ; freedom of the press  and right to access information ; freedom of assembly, peaceful demonstration and association; freedom to join trade unions and political parties.

14.    Expanding economic, social and environmental rights (to which the State and all public authorities will be contributing): health; social protection; modern, accessible quality education; decent housing; a healthy environment and sustainable development.

VI. Enhancing gender equality through the confirmation of parity:

15.        Gender equality in civic, political, economic, social, cultural and environmental rights;

1. Setting up of an Authority for the achievement of parity and the fight against all forms of discrimination.

16.        Use legislation to implement affirmative action measures for the benefit of women to encourage access to elected office;

VII. National sovereignty and supremacy of the Constitution:

18.        Sovereignty lies with the nation which exercises it by referendum and through its representatives;

19.        Election of the representatives of the people to elected national, local and regional institutions, by direct universal suffrage, through free, fair and transparent elections;

20.        Supremacy of the Constitution over all powers, without exception ; any litigant can challenge the constitutionality of a law (this is a daring, pioneering measure which makes it possible for the citizens to realize that the Constitution is of their own making);

VIII. Separation of powers under a constitutional, democratic, parliamentary and social monarchy:

21.        Citizen-based monarchy which upholds the nation’s basic policy objectives, fulfilling sovereignty and ultimate arbitration functions:

·         Deletion of all references to the sacredness of the person of the King, replacing it with the more modern notion of inviolability and the respect due to the King ;

·         Detailed, explicit differentiation between the powers of the King as Commander of the Faithful (in charge of the religious domain) and as Head of State, symbol of the nation’s unity and territorial integrity, who performs arbitration functions and who guarantees the nation’s democratic choices and safeguards the country’s best interests;

22.        A government emanating from an elected Parliament, and placed under the authority of a Head of Government who exercises full executive power :

·         Democratic procedure for the appointment of the Head of Government, who is appointed by the King from among the party which wins the general elections and is endorsed by the absolute majority of the House of Representatives, to which the Head of Government shall be answerable ;

·         A true Head of Government and not just a foremost minister ;  a true chief and leader of the cabinet, who will manage the administration, exercise real executive power and enjoy extensive prerogatives in terms of appointing senior civil servants ;

·         The Governing Council has become the forum for the definition and implementation of state policy ;

23.        A strong Parliament with enhanced powers, which will exercise the legislative power, enact laws, control the Government and assess public policies:

·         Two-chamber system which confirms the supremacy of the House of Representatives which can on its own challenge the Government; the second Chamber now has a reduced membership as well as a local and regional mission; trade unions and professional organizations are also represented in the second Chamber ;

·         Legal field increased from 30 subjects to 60, including 26 organic laws, particularly the guarantees relating to rights and freedoms, amnesty, the division into constituencies and all aspects of civil, economic and social life ;

·         Effective parliamentary control mechanisms for which the required quorums have been made more flexible: motion of censure, committees of inquiry, referral to the Constitutional Court, convening of a special session.

24.        Flexible balance between the legislative and the executive branches : the Government is now answerable only to the House of Representatives ; the latter can be dissolved not only by the King, by virtue of his prerogatives regarding arbitration and the guarantee of the proper functioning of institutions, but also by the Head of Government, through a decree;

IX. The Judiciary becomes an independent power, ensuring genuine protection of rights and guaranteeing compliance with the law:

25.        Basic, constitutionalised guarantees of independence for judges: Status of judges reinforced by an organic law, prohibition of interference in the work of judges, or any kind of pressure;

26.        The cornerstone of this branch is now the Supreme Council for Judicial Power: it is chaired by the King, who ensures, in particular, that the guarantees granted judges are   enforced; the new Constitution introduces three basic features

·         Vice-Presidency is now entrusted to the President of the Court of Cassation, instead of the Minister of Justice; there is also enhanced representation of women judges;

·         Membership open to well-known figures in the area of championing the independence of the Judiciary;

·         Beyond judges’ career management, the extended powers cover control and assessment of the judiciary and of the administration of justice;

27.        A true constitutional Court, which serves as the watchdog of constitutional supremacy:  half its members are now elected by both Houses of Parliament; its powers have been extended to checking the constitutionality of conventions; referral open to the public.

X. Enhanced constitutional status of the stakeholders involved in democratic life and in the citizen-based participatory democracy:

28.        Confirming the key role of political parties in democratic life ; contribute to the exercise of the right to vote, participate in the exercise of power, based on pluralism and democratic alternation in the exercise of political power;  functioning methods that are consistent with democratic principles, no dissolution or suspension without a court ruling.

29.        Recognition of a genuine status for the parliamentary opposition: in addition to the relaxed provisions mentioned under item 8, chairmanship, of right, of the legislation commission, equitable access to state media, entitlement to public funding, actual participation in the control of Government and in parliamentary committees of inquiry;

30.        Strengthening the role of trade unions as levers of social democracy, and as political players by maintaining their presence in the second Chamber;

31.        Recognizing the status and role of civil society and NGOs as stakeholders in participatory democracy, at national, local and community levels ;

32.        Confirming the status and role of the media in promoting democracy as well as citizens’ rights and freedoms:

·         Guaranteeing press freedom and the right to information;

·         Democratic regulatory measures for, and organization of, the press and audiovisual communication sectors, including audio-visual means (the HACA enshrined in the Constitution).

33.        Creating new forums for participatory democracy: involving education, the family and children, youth and civic associations.

 XI. Regional and local democracy, and advanced regionalisation:

34.        Enshrining advanced regionalisation in the Constitution : as well as redistributing the powers between constitutional institutions, the new Constitution paves the way for a country with united regions, based on a democratic reorganization of powers between the State and the regions;

35.        Confirmation of the basic principles underlying the Moroccan regionalization system:

·         National, local and regional unity, balance, solidarity and democratic practices;

·         Election of regional councils by direct suffrage, right of petition;

·         Principles of self-management and subsidiarity ;

·         Transferring the executive power of these councils to their presidents;

·         The regional Council will serve as a college for election to the House of Councillors.

36.        Constitutional basis for a new local and regional setup in the Kingdom, conducive to :

·         Substantial devolution of powers from the central authority to the regions;

·         Several forms of partnership and contractual relationships between the State and the regions, and between local governments;

·         Development and devolution of central powers.

37.        Creation of a regional equalization fund and of a fund for the social overhauling of regions.

XII. Fundamental principles in the area of good governance, integrity in public institutions and economic rule of law:

38.        Relationship between office-holding, public office and accountability;

39.        Constitutionalising the principle of the balance of public finances;

40.        Confirming the basic principles of social market economy and economic rule of law:

·         The right to property, free enterprise and free competition

·         The prohibition of conflicts of interest, of insider trading and of practices that are contrary to the principles of free and fair competition in economic relations;

41.        Strong measures to promote transparency and the fight against corruption: Sanctioning all forms of wrongdoing in the management of public funds, corruption and influence peddling.

42.        Strict prohibition of party-switching by parliamentarians, both with respect to parties and parliamentary groups (this will contribute to the rehabilitation of politics and give meaning to voting); 

43.        Restricting the benefit from immunity (limited to the expression of opinion and to voting  in Parliament ; equality of all before the law as a result of cancelling the High Court, previously meant as a court for ministers);

44.        Good governance in the area of security: Setting up a Supreme Strategic Security Council as a consultative institution which deals with the country’s internal and external security strategies, as well as with the management of crisis situations; it also institutionalizes standards for good security governance.

45.        Enshrining in the Constitution the Competition Council and the national authority for integrity and for the prevention and fight against corruption,  in addition to other independent institutions for the protection and promotion of human rights, good governance and regulation, especially an independent council for human rights and the Al Wasseet (Ombudsman) institution.

Expedition Impossible in Morocco

The First 14 Minutes Of ABC's 'Expedition Impossible

13 three-person teams find themselves racing across vast deserts, over snow-capped mountains and through raging rivers in the beautifully exotic, fabled Kingdom of Morocco. After 10 stunning legs of competition filled with drama, laughs and memorable characters, one team will cross the finish line to claim victory. Each winning team member gets $50,000 (that's $150,000 total for the team) as well a new Ford Explorer.

Expedition Impossible comes from Executive Producer Mark Burnett, whose hits include Shark Tank, Survivor and The Apprentice, just to name a few. Lisa Hennessy also serves as Executive Producer for the series. The show promises to have lots of human drama to accompany all the high adventure.

Boycott reform vote, says Morocco union

One of Morocco’s biggest trade unions urged its members yesterday to boycott voting in a July 1 referendum for a reformed constitution led by King Mohamed, adding weight to a youth-led movement’s opposition to the plan.
After some of the biggest protests in decades—inspired in part by the “Arab Spring” uprisings—the monarch announced on Friday he would devolve some of his powers to parliament and the government and put the reforms to a referendum on July 1.
“The proposed constitution reinforces what has always been applied in the past and does not deliver on what has been promised,” Noubir Amaoui, who heads the Democratic Labour Confederation (CDT), said.
The CDT becomes the biggest organisation to announce its intention to boycott the referendum after three small left-wing parties and the youth-led February 20 Movement, which was inspired by revolts in Egypt and Tunisia to demand the establishment of a parliamentary monarchy.
Although exact membership figures are hard to come by, in 2009 the CDT won most seats among trade unions at elections of representatives of public administration employees and also has a large following in the banking sector.
Under the changes, the king would retain his hold on security, the army and religion. That disappointed some opponents who had wanted to see the monarch hand over all his executive powers to elected officials.
“What we want is broad democracy and full transparency without the exclusion of anyone. Furthermore, the final copy (of the reformed constitution draft) did not correspond to the copy that was given to us: Some articles were changed without consulting us,” added Amaoui.
Amaoui also said with the referendum date set for July 1, the authorities “have not allowed enough time for Moroccans to understand what the new constitution is all about. They are using the same old tactic of surprise ... Some people don’t seem to understand the changes happening around us.”
After facing the biggest anti-establishment protests in decades, King Mohamed in March ordered a hand-picked committee to discuss with political parties, trade unions and non-governmental organisations a constitutional reform.