Moroccans to vote for New Constitution

Moroccans to vote for new constitution

Moroccans are set to vote on the new constitution that the king has proposed.  The king said that the change will result into a wide range reform, though activists maintain that this change, will only further the problem of autocracy.

King Mohammed VI’s referendum is likely to be passed, considering that most North African countries which opt for a change in constitution gets a successful majority vote to push through.

Morocco, like the rest of the Middle East nations was swept by pro-democracy movements at the beginning of 2011.  People are protesting because of the lack of freedom, weak economy and corruption in the government.

The King, however, dismissed all the negative reactions that his proposal generated.  Instead, he made the change very helpful to all, even guaranteeing children and women’s rights, and extending the powers bestowed upon the parliament and judiciary.  This expansion of the powers of the other branches of the government is ostensibly at the expense of the king’s own authority.

The February 20 pro-democracy group has been voicing out their concerns and even asked everyone for a boycott.  The group even mentioned that the change will leave the king firmly in power, and will be little different from its predecessor.

These protest has, however, been drowned by many.  On June 24, imams read the King’s issue in the mosques that there people should vote yes, as an act of faith.

Posted by James Fried on Friday July 01 2011, 2:59 AM EST. Ref: yahoo news. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0