《Prospectsforchangeinthe》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《Prospectsforchangeinthe（7页珍藏版）》请在金锄头文库上搜索。
1、 Prospects for change in the Kingdom of Morocco* Mohamed Darif * 1 June 2011 Al Jazeera Centre for Studies Tel: +974-44930181 Fax: +974-44831346 2 As with other Arab countries, a wave of protests calling for change is sweeping across Morocco. These protests have largely been inspired by the Tunisi
2、an and Egyptian revolutions, and the revolutionaries believe that the current period provides the opportunity to put pressure on the ruling regime by mobilising the Moroccan street , and calling for a series of far-reaching institutional and political reforms. The wave of protests began with an appe
3、al to Moroccans to join a protest on 20 February 2011, a date that has since been associated with the movement calling for change, which is now eponymously called the February 20 Youth Movement. Since the announcement of protests for that date, political groups and rights organisations have engaged
4、in a series of actions throughout Morocco. The February 20 Movement also called for demonstrations on 20 March and 24 April. During these demonstrations various questions emerged as to the possibilities of the movement being able to achieve extensive change. Beyond the debate raging between those as
5、serting the potential for the movements success and those who warn of Moroccan exceptionably, the path taken by the February 20 Movements demonstrations and the nature of their demands complicate the observers task of hypothesising about the prospects for change in Morocco. The starting point in a d
6、iscussion about change in Morocco must, on one hand, take into consideration the forces calling for such a change, and, on the other hand, examine the realities facing the February 20 Movement. The forces of change: Beyond ideology There are three main groupings calling for change in Morocco: 1. The
7、 first are Islamist groups, particularly the Justice and Charity Group; the Civilized Alternative Party (banned by the government in February 2008); and the unlicensed Umma Party. 2. The second grouping is embodied by radical left organisations, including political parties. The most prominent of the
8、se are the Democratic Socialist Vanguard Party, the Unified Socialist Party, and the Democratic Way and legal action groups such as the Moroccan Association for Human Rights. 3. The third grouping is comprised of members from the Amazigh movement which consists of three main currents: the Makhzani w
9、ho are loyal to the regime; the democratic current that is embedded in progressive democratic political parties; and the third current which declares its fundamentalist hostility to everything that Islam and Arabism stand for. These three groupings have called for political change for decades, but h
10、ave not succeeded in transforming these calls into any substantial counter-force to challenge the regime. Rather, they have remained confined to activities in clubs and university campuses, sporadically taking action on the street to express solidarity with Arab and Islamic issues. This highlights t
11、he significance of the February 20 Movement that called on Moroccans to take to the streets to demand change. An important question is: how did this movement emerge and what constitutes its identity? In a paper published by the February 20 Movement on 16 February 2011, the movement presented itself
12、as a Moroccan youth movement independent of all political organisations and parties, and bearing great love for their country a love that has driven them to demand change in order to bring about freedom, democracy, dignity and social justice. The movement also defines itself as a natural extension o
13、f Moroccan protest movements; as an expression of the youths online interaction with these forces an interaction that has found expression 3 through the formation of virtual groups on Facebook, including the group Moroccans in dialogue with the King. On 27 January 2011, before the formation of the F
14、ebruary 20 Movement had been announced, virtual youth groups initiated a call for a day of peaceful demonstrations, to take place on 20 February, in various Moroccan cities. This loose coalition called itself Freedom and Democracy Now, and based its call on a platform of five points: 1. Demanding a
15、repeal of the current constitution and the appointment of a competent body, composed of Moroccan personalities who are known for their integrity, to draft a new constitution that will place natural limits on the power of the monarchy; 2. Calling for a dissolution of parliament, government and politi
16、cal parties that have contributed to the consolidation of political corruption; 3. A commitment to take immediate, real and tangible action to alleviate the suffering of the Moroccan people, and for the establishment of an unemployment fund; 4. A demand for the release of all political prisoners; 5. A demand for the appointment of an interim government to run state affairs while the new constitution
