New Constitutional Framework, Persisting Authoritarian Practices: The Case of Morocco after the 2011 Constitutional Reform

Following one of the largest waves of protests that the country had experienced since its independence, Morocco witnessed the drafting and the adoption of a new and arguably less authoritarian constitution. The subsequent electoral success of the Islamist Parti de la Justice et du développement (PJD) and the formation of a PJD-led government were considered tokens of goodwill demonstrating the monarchy's commitment to the reforms. Nevertheless, the optimism faded away in the face of increasingly repressive responses from the state to the protests, the continuing inability (or unwillingness) of the PJD government to pursue its reformist electoral promises, the extremely slow pace of the drafting of organic laws pertaining to the enactment of various constitutional provisions, and the awkward responses of the government to scandals that elicited popular outrage and sporadic protests.

The overall picture emerging from a review of the political situation in Morocco in the years following the adoption of the new constitution is that of a political system unable or unwilling to follow through with the process of reforms in which it engaged itself. Thus, this paper argues that the Moroccan state seems unlikely to be able to move beyond the repressive modes of authoritarian governance that it has hitherto relied upon, given the deeply entrenched interests of its elites, a factionalized and divided opposition, and a population that mistrusts institutionalized politics and is wary of the risks associated with revolutionary changes. It also analyzes the uncomfortable position of the PJD, caught between its inability to deliver on its electoral promises and the recurring snubs that it receives from the monarchy and its allies. Finally, this paper suggests that the reform in itself is better understood as being more of a show of goodwill targeted at the international community rather than a sincere commitment to democratization.