Morocco to curb king’s absolute power

Moving quickly in the wake of ‘ Arab spring’:

Morocco: Moroccans vote Friday in a referendum to curb the near absolute powers of their king, Mohammed VI, who has moved quickly to offer reforms in the wake of pro-democracy uprisings throughout the Arab world.

Faced with protests modelled on the Arab Spring uprisings that ousted long-serving leaders in Tunisia and Egypt, Mohammed VI moved this month to get ahead of protesters by offering to devolve some of his wide-ranging powers to the prime minister and parliament.

Under a new draft constitution to be voted on Friday, the king would remain head of state, the military, and the Islamic faith in Morocco, but the prime minister, chosen from the largest party elected to parliament, would take over as head of the government.

Mohammed VI, who in 1999 took over the Arab world’s longest-serving dynasty, offered the reforms after the youth-based February 20 Movement organised weeks of pro-reform protests that brought thousands to the streets. AFP