Introduction to the basics

of public administrations in
kingdom of Morocco
 Geography of Morocco
The geography of Morocco spans from the Atlantic Ocean, to
mountainous areas, to the Sahara desert. Morocco is a
Northern Africancountry, bordering theNorth Atlantic Oceanand
the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and the annexed
Western Sahara. It is one of only three nations (along withSpain
andFrance) to have both Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines.

A large part of Morocco is mountainous. TheAtlas Mountainsare

located mainly in the centre and the south of the country. The
Rif Mountainsare located in the north of the country. Both ranges
are mainly inhabited by theBerber people. Morocco is the fifty-
seventh largest country in the world (afterUzbekistan
 Language in morocco
The official language of Morocco is the Moroccan Arabic. It is a dialect of Maghreb Arabic and it is
also the most widely spoken language in the country with 85% of the total population. The
language is fairly different from the common Arabic spoken in the Middle East and is also slightly
influenced by French or Spanish. This dialect is also related to Spanish, as Spanish was heavily
influenced by Arabic from Morocco before the expulsion of 1492.
About 10 million of the population of Morocco speaks the language Berber which exists in the
country in 3 different dialects the Tarifit, the Tamazight, and the Tachelheet. The dialect Tarifit is
widely spoken in the mountainous regions of the north while the Tamazight is in the central
region and the Tachelheet is in the south of the country.
The most useful non-Arabic language to know and widely understood in Morocco is the French
language. At least half of the population is capable of speaking French because of the strong
influence during the period of 1912 to 1956, which has also left a large amount of French
architecture in parts of Morocco.
Spanish and English are spoken by shop owners and hotel managers in urban centers. Many in
the northern part of the country speak Spanish besides being only a short distance away, Spain
also acted as protectorate of Morocco for a while after 1912. English, while still far behind French
and Spanish in terms of number of speakers, is rapidly becoming the foreign language of choice
among educated youth. English subjects are taught in all public schools.
 Government of Morocco
Morocco is a constitutional monarchy and has an elected
parliament. The country is ruled by a King who has a lot
of executive and legislative powers, particularly over
religious matters, foreign policy, and the military.
Executive power is practised by the government while
legislative power is practised by both the government
and the two chambers of parliament: the Assembly of
Councillors and the Assembly of Representatives. The
king has the power to issue decrees known asdahirs.
These decrees have the force of law. The King can also
disband the parliament after conferring with the Prime
Minister and the president of the Constitutional Court.
 The cabinet of Morocco
This is the countrys chief executive body. It is usually
made up of 25 ministers, 5 to 10 Secretaries of State,
and Minister Delegates. The cabinet is led by the Prime
Minister who is nominated by the King of Morocco from
a party that gains a large number of members in the
parliamentary elections. The ministers in the Cabinet
are selected by the Prime Minister, after conferring with
other parties that form the coalition government. The
ministers are then confirmed and appointed by the King.
 The executive branch
The executive branch of government is the organ that exerts authority and
is accountable for how a state is governed. This branch also enacts and
implements the law.
The King, who is a hereditary ruler and the head of state, and the Prime
Minister make up the executive branch of the government. The constitution
gives the King a lot of powers. He is the worldly political leader and also the
Commander of the Faithful orAmir al-Mou'mininsince he is viewed as an
immediate descendant of Prophet Mohammed, giving him the position of
the nations religious leader. He is also the head of the countrys armed
forces. He is in charge of the Council of Ministers and as mentioned earlier,
he nominates the Prime Minister after legislative elections and nominates
members to the government after getting recommendations from the Prime
Minister. The monarch also has the power to disband parliament, sack
ministers, issue decrees and call for new elections.
 The legislative branch
The legislative branch is an organ of government that has the power to come up with laws
for a country. This is a very important branch of government alongside the executive and
judiciary.
After the constitutional reforms in 1996, the countrys legislature became bicameral and it is
made up of two parliamentary chambers. The first is the Assembly of Representatives or the
Lower House. In Arabic, it is referred to asMajlis al-Nuwab/Assemble des Rpresentants. It
is made up of 325 members who are elected for a five-year term. Of these, 295 are selected
in multi-seat constituencies while 30 are elected in national lists containing women only. The
second is the Assembly of Councillors known in Arabic asMajlis al-Mustasharin. It is made up
of 270 members who are selected for a nine-year term. 162 seats are occupied by local
councils, 91 seats by professional chambers, and 27 seats by wage earners. The powers of
parliament are limited but were increased under the 1992 and 1996 constitution reforms. Its
powers include questioning ministers, approving bills, taking care of budgetary matters, and
forming ad hoc bodies to carry our inquiries and investigation of actions by the government.
The Assembly of representatives can disband the government via a vote of no confidence.
 The judicial branch
The highest court in the countrys judicial structure in the Supreme
Court. Its judges are nominated by the Supreme Council of the
Judiciary which is led by the King. This branch is independent of the
Moroccan government and it is subject to the countrys constitution
only. The Supreme Court is made up of five chambers. These are
constitutional, civil, penal, social, and administrative. The
constitutional chamber is tasked with reviewing legislative matters.
Besides the Supreme Court other courts under the judiciary include,
Trade Courts, Communal and District Courts, the High Court,
Administrative Tribunals, Special Court of Justice, Courts of Appeal,
First Instance Courts, and the Standing Tribunal of the Armed Forces
Administrative division in morocco
The Republic of Morocco is divided into 16 major administrative regions.
These regions are then broken into prefectures and provinces and they are
governed by governors (Walis) who have been selected by the Monarch.
These governors are tasked with the responsibility of managing the 16
regions in the country. All provinces have a local government that is made
up of a nominated governor, and an assembly that has been selected by the
municipal councils. The provincial governments take care of local duties and
obligations assigned to them by the central government, for instance, rural
investment and a number of social services. There is a mayor and a
selected municipal council in every municipality. These are responsible for
crucial services such as safety and public health. There are also local
governments but these do not have autonomy from the central government.
The central government is accountable for budgeting and taxation at all
stages of public administration.
itical parties and elections in moroc
Morocco has a multi-party system. This is a system where many parties in the political field get to
run for elections in a country. All parties have the chance to acquire control of government offices
on their own or in a coalition. The country has over 20 political parties and all take part in the
countrys elections. There are electoral rules that govern the election process and they make sure
that no party wins more than 20 percent of the parliament seats.
There are regular and free elections that are founded on universal suffrage, such as elections to
parliament. The locals get to vote for the legislature. This is where the government is drawn. This,
therefore, means that citizens have an indirect say in selecting a crucial sector of the
governments executive branches. This, however, does not apply to the monarchy since they lack
the right to completely alter the government. The citizens are responsible for directly electing
municipal councils and regional councils via representatives.
It is important to note that the countrys constitution cannot be changed without approval from
the King. It has been provided for in the constitution that neither the monarchical structure nor
the measures linked to the Islam religion can be revised. It is only the King who has the power to
pose constitutional revision suggestions to a referendum at the national level. Amendments can
only be suggested by the King or parliament and they must be passed in both houses by a two-
thirds majority. After a royal verdict has been given, the amendment is then sent to a national
vote. The monarch, however, has the power to forego any national vote.