Can Morocco's King Mohammed VI outpace Morocco's 'winds of change'?
| London
In a turning point for amid winds of Arab regime change, King Mohammed VI now aims by June 30 to formalize a plan allowing the nation鈥檚 prime minister to be appointed by the party that gets the most votes in democratic elections.
Previously, the monarch himself selected the prime minister. But in a speech yesterday that even Morocco鈥檚 opposition Islamists praised, the king 鈥� whose family rule dates to the mid-17th century 鈥� set out sweeping reforms that include a more independent judiciary, an 鈥渁ccelerated evolution鈥� of direct local elections, and other constitutional changes allowing greater human and gender rights.
King Mohammed VI did not refer in his rare Wednesday speech to a steady stream of small yet loud protests in the country last month. But analysts see the monarch鈥檚 move as a clear effort to reform the country in order to placate what Moroccan foreign minister Taib Fassi Fihri referred to in London today as a 鈥渘ew鈥� set of 鈥測ouths 鈥� extreme leftists, Internet surfers, young people, and Islamists,鈥� who were making themselves heard.
Mr. Fihri suggested the Moroccan king had decided a year ago to promote reform, and in the wake of the Arab uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya, had a choice between moving 鈥渄irectly鈥� or 鈥渟lowly鈥� and chose the former.
鈥淚n the Arab world, the leadership protected itself for far too long a time,鈥� Fihri told a set of diplomats and journalists at the Chatham House think tank in London. 鈥淲e have to listen and follow what is happening in our region.鈥�
That's exactly what the king is doing, according to Fihri. 鈥淭his is a historical news day for Morocco,鈥� he proclaimed at one point.
A new prime minister selected by the majority party will "be the head of an effective executive branch, who is fully responsible for government, civil service, and the implementation of the government's agenda," the king said.
The French government hailed the monarch鈥檚 decision as 鈥渂rave.鈥�
Sudden change on the magnitude proposed by the king was hard to imagine even two months ago, writes Zouhair Baghough on his blog, .
鈥淧olitical strength, heavily in favor of the monarchy, has been suddenly reset to a different equilibrium," writes Mr. Baghough. "We have moved from an executive monarchy 鈥� with no constitutional reform agenda in sight 鈥� to a blitzkrieg-style commission with a June 2011 deadline.鈥�
Claire Spencer, the head of Chatham House's Middle East and North Africa Programme, called the king鈥檚 speech 鈥渕omentous鈥� but said that most experts and ordinary Moroccans were waiting to see is 鈥渉ow much life鈥� will be breathed into the often moribund political parties in Morocco in coming months.
鈥淚s there enough time before June to make serious change?鈥� she asked.
