Democratising in Morocco is more far-reaching than ever before due to the growing role of civil society at the national level.
There are more than 90,000 associations across the country, framing more than a million subscribers and touching upon more than a third of the country in a direct or indirect manner, according to the last report of the Minister in Charge of Relations with Parliament and Civil Society. This confirms the strong presence and the influence that civil society has over Moroccan policymaking.
The increasing number of civil society organisations is parallel to the rate of development that Morocco has noticed recently as a result of many investments in many sectors like Green Economy, National Initiative of Sustainable Development, Advanced Decentralisation, and more. Right now social and development initiatives occupied all regions of Morocco including villages, mountains and even desert areas far to the south. The good use of financial resources issues at local and international level and fundraising made the civil community a key contributor to the realisation of democracy and human rights in the country.
2011 Morocco Protests
Such interest and presence has increased along with the roles that new constitution 2011 has given to civil society. Now public affairs and policies are no longer fully monopolised by the state and political institutions; however, civil society has become -under the new Constitution- a key partner and major role-player in the formulation and implementation of public policies. The new constitution ensures the contribution of associations and non-government organizations in public affairs and policies within the context of participatory democracy. This new role given to civil society is presented in the formulation and evaluation of public policies through a variety of formal and informal approaches. This coincides with the shift from government to governance, whereby government can no longer rule alone, and however need the input of social groups to secure public policy outcomes.
Involving civil society role-players in the formulation and implementation of public policies has become a major feature of political life in the country. It is obvious that this new given role to civil society with the framework of participatory or deliberative democracy would secure the transition of Morocco to a more democratic, transparent and accountable country.
Such remarkable growing interest toward civil society is not a coincidence; it is rather a byproduct of a fast and deep global transformation led by developed societies. The need for change, and the emergence of new social demands made the reconstruction and rewriting of the economic and political systems a major priority and a necessity for global communitywhich has been affected by global transformations like globalisation, economic crisis, democratisation, the Arab Spring, and the like. Thus the role of constitutions, states and nongovernmental organisations has to be reconsidered and reconstructed.
Movement away from autocracy
States upon the Second World War adopted the autocratic style of governing and states intervention policy in all public affairs. However, the economic crisis and its social repercussions imposed transition from central rule whereby the state controls and monopolies to a governing based participation where other players are to be involved.
At the national level Morocco adopted the decentralisation approach to ease the burden on the central power through assigning developmental tasks to local groups, especially in the period from 2002 to now. This is compatible with the content of the charter of the year 2003 which ensured the involvement and participation of civil society in local and sustainable development leading advancement in the path of democracy which includes public freedoms, fundamental freedoms of association and trade unions and the freedom of creating enterprises.
However, it is fully believed that the official recognition of civil actors could only be achieved along with the social and political dynamic that was led by the February 20 movement, which was accompanied later by the recognition of the civil society as key partner in Moroccan Constitution of 2011.
The good news is that development at the local level in Morocco is no longer linked and monopolized by the state within the framework of participatory democracy that Morocco is trying to implement. Today, the government shares responsibility with local actors, from the private sector and civil society groups. The Moroccan adopted approach of decentralization has assigned a new role to civil community contribute to the eradication of extreme poverty, environmental protection, access to basic services and livelihoods and the promotion of economic growth and opportunities.
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