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Morocco: Assessment Report for Political Parties and Party Systems Morocco: Assessment Report for Political Parties and Party Systems Barry Ames Louis A. Picard Miguel Carreras University of Pittsburgh August 19, 2010 This study is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the responsibility of the University of Pittsburgh and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government. Table of Contents 1 POLITICAL CONTEXT..................................................................................................................................... 3 1.1 POLITICAL TRENDS AND RECENT DEVELOPMENTS........................................................................................................3 1.1.1 The Nature of the Regime ........................................................................................................................3 1.2 THE SOCIO‐ECONOMIC CONTEXT.............................................................................................................................4 1.3 THE INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXT .................................................................................................................................7 1.4 EXECUTIVE POWER ...............................................................................................................................................7 1.5 THE LEGISLATURE .................................................................................................................................................8 1.6 THE PARTY SYSTEM CONTEXT ...............................................................................................................................10 2 MOROCCAN POLITICAL PARTIES THROUGH THE LENS OF PARTY DEVELOPMENT GOALS ..............................12 2.1 ACCOUNTABILITY, REPRESENTATION, AND PARTICIPATION..........................................................................................12 2.2 GOVERNABILITY AND GOOD GOVERNANCE ..............................................................................................................16 2.3 STABLE AND PEACEFUL CONTESTATION...................................................................................................................17 2.4 RULE OF LAW & FAIR AND HONEST ELECTIONS ........................................................................................................19 2.5 PARTY ORGANIZATION AND TECHNICAL CAPACITY.....................................................................................................20 3 POLITICAL CHANGE AND STRATEGIC ALTERNATIVES....................................................................................22 3.1 LIBERALIZATION VERSUS DEMOCRATIZATION............................................................................................................22 3.2 PRESIDENTIAL MONARCHY ...................................................................................................................................24 3.3 THE ROLE OF DONOR SUPPORT .............................................................................................................................25 4 AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO PARTY ASSISTANCE ...................................................................................26 4.1 CONSOLIDATION OF DONOR EFFORTS.....................................................................................................................26 4.2 INTEGRATION OF CIVIL SOCIETY, POLITICAL PARTIES, AND LOCAL OFFICIALS ...................................................................26 4.3 LOCAL‐LEVEL PARTY ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN SELECTED POLICY AREAS.........................................................27 4.4 NATIONAL‐LEVEL PROGRAMS ................................................................................................................................27 4.4.1 Political Leadership Training. .................................................................................................................28 4.4.2 Support for Party Work in Parliament....................................................................................................28 4.4.3 The Strategy in a Nutshell. .....................................................................................................................28 5 REFERENCES ...............................................................................................................................................29 Table of Figures FIGURE 1: GDP PER CAPITA AND GDP GROWTH IN MOROCCO (1991‐2008) ...............................................................................6 FIGURE 2: THE RESULTS OF THE LEGISLATIVE ELECTIONS (2002 AND 2007)...................................................................................9 FIGURE 3: VOTER TURNOUT IN LEGISLATIVE ELECTIONS ...........................................................................................................14 FIGURE 4: ELECTORAL FRAGMENTATION IN THE 1997, 2002, AND 2007 ELECTIONS.....................................................................18 Morocco: Assessment Report for Political Parties and Party Systems 2 1 Political Context 1.1 Political Trends and Recent Developments 1.1.1 The Nature of the Regime This report focuses on political parties and the process of political change in Morocco. The report seeks to assess the role of political parties and their potential evolution in a political regime that can be described as “competitive authoritarian.” Freedom House characterizes Morocco as partly free (Freedom House 2010).1 Elections are held regularly, and there is no evidence of electoral fraud on Election Day. Still, the monarchy can influence the results of the elections by gerrymandering or by excluding certain political forces. Hence, the electoral process as a whole in Morocco cannot be considered free and fair. Overall, the main limitation to democracy in Morocco is the predominant role played by the Monarch ( a monarch enjoying widespread support in the population) and the corresponding lack of autonomy of such institutions as Parliament and Government. Over the past 15 years, Morocco has experienced a period of continued liberalization, a liberalization that has created opportunities for effective party strengthening programs. During most of the Hassan II era (1961‐1999), Morocco’s regime was clearly authoritarian.2 On the one hand, the King used different strategies to limit the role of opposition parties, including the creation of “administration parties” loyal to the Monarchy (UC, RNI, MP), the modification of electoral rules, and electoral fraud. On the other hand, the reign of Hassan II was marked by opposition and by heavy‐handed government response to criticism and opposition. The level of repression and human rights abuses was especially high during the so‐called “years of lead” between the 1960s and the 1980s (Storm 2007). In the beginning of the 1990s, Morocco’s poor human right record eroded the kingdom’s international reputation, forcing Hassan II to start a process of liberalization. This process has been described as “a process of controlled, well‐managed change that maintains social peace while promoting economic development” (Maddy‐Weitzman 1997). Liberalization was sustained by a series of constitutional reforms that provided more powers to the Parliament and allowed, for the first time in the country’s history, the direct election of all the members of the lower Chamber of Parliament (Gershovich 2008). The assent to power of Mohammed VI in 1999 signaled a break with the past and an acceleration of the reform process. Elections became more transparent, and they are now held at regular intervals. Respect for public freedoms and civil liberties also improved considerably. The King released thousands of political prisoners and allowed exiled political leaders to return. In 2004, the King formed the Equity and Reconciliation Commission (Vermeren 2009) to investigate the human rights abuses committed during the “years of lead” (White 2008). Another aspect of the new era is the willingness of the current King to modernize Morocco and the political arena. Mohammed VI has publicly stated his commitment to improve the status of Moroccan women, and he was proactive in the reform of the family code (Moudawana). Under the reformed code, women are no longer subject to the guardianship of a male; they have the right to 1 The Polity IV project defines Morocco as an autocracy with a score of -6 in 2008. The Polity IV scores go from -10 to +10. The established threshold to be considered a democracy is a score of 6. 2 For a discussion of the Hassan period see Entelis (1989). Pennell (2000) provides a good one volume history of Morocco. Morocco: Assessment Report for Political Parties and Party Systems 3 divorce; and the minimum age for marriage is set at 18 (it was formerly 15 for women) (Wuerth 2005). In the same vein, the King decreed a party law obliging parties to be more internally democratic and more open to the participation of youth and women. In a society where Islamic fundamentalism is a minority current, the King’s leadership is welcomed by the majority of the population. Despite these positive early steps taken by Mohammed VI, the King and his close advisors (the Makhzen)3 still dominate the political system. Other political institutions, including political parties, continue to be weak. The monarchy uses exorbitant fines and libel suits to restrict freedom of the press. Moroccan authorities recently
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