ment.
- The prime minister will preside over the council of Government, which prepares the general policy of the state. Previously the king held this position.
- The parliament has the power of granting amnesty. Previously this was exclusively held by the king.
- The judiciary system is independent from the legislative and executive branch, the king guarantees this independence.
- Women are guaranteed "civic and social" equality with men. Previously, only "political" equality was guaranteed, though the 1996 constitution grants all citizens equality in terms of rights and before the law.
- The King would retain complete control of the armed forces, foreign policy and the judiciary; authority for choosing and dismissing prime ministers and he would retain control of matters pertaining to religion.
- All citizens have the freedom of: thought, ideas, artistic expression and creation. Previously only free-speech and the freedom of circulation and association were guaranteed.
On 2 July 2011 some Moroccan protesters said they were undeterred despite a landslide victory for King Mohammed in a referendum on constitutional changes they say do nothing to ease his autocratic grip on power.
The nation's interior ministry has offered the tentative date of November 11, 2011 for parliamentary elections.
Compulsory military service in Morocco has been suppressed since September 2006, and the country’s reserve obligation lasts until age 50. The country’s military consists of the Royal Armed Forces—this includes the army (the largest branch) and a small navy and air force—the National Police Force, the Royal Gendarmerie (mainly responsible for rural security), and the Auxiliary Forces. Internal security is generally effective, and acts of political violence are rare (with one exception, the 2003 Casablanca bombings which killed 45 people). The UN maintains a small observer force in Western Sahara, where a large number of Morocco’s troops are stationed. The Saharawi group Polisario maintains an active militia of an estimated 5,000 fighters in Western Sahara and has engaged in intermittent warfare with Moroccan forces since the 1980s.
The military of Morocco is composed of the following main divisions:
- Royal Armed Forces
- Air Force
- Auxiliary Forces
- Moroccan Royal Guard
- Marche Verte
ABEDA, ACCT (associate), AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU, EBRD, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
- Bilateral and multilateral agreements
- Council of Arab Economic Unity
- Euro-Mediterranean free trade area
- General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
- US-Morocco Free Trade Agreement
Morocco is divided into 16 regions, and subdivided into 62 prefectures and provinces.
As part of a 1997 decentralization/regionalization law passed by the legislature, sixteen new regions were created. These regions are:
- 01. Oued Ed-Dahab-Lagouira
- 02. Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra
- 03. Guelmim-Es Semara
- 04. Souss-Massa-Drâa
- 05. Gharb-Chrarda-Béni Hssen
- 06. Chaouia-Ouardigha
- 07. Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz
- 08. Oriental
- 09. Grand Casablanca
- 10. Rabat-Salé-Zemmour-Zaer
- 11. Doukkala-Abda
- 12. Tadla-Azilal
- 13. Meknès-Tafilalet
- 14. Fès-Boulemane
- 15. Taza-Al Hoceima-Taounate
- 16. Tangier-Tétouan
Morocco is divided into 38 provinces and 2 wilayas*: Agadir, Al Hoceima, Azilal, Beni Mellal, Ben Slimane, Boulemane, Casablanca*, Chaouen, El Jadida, El Kelaa des Sraghna, Er Rachidia, Essaouira, Fes, Figuig, Guelmim, Ifrane, Kenitra, Khemisset, Rommani, Khenifra, Khouribga, Laayoune, Larache, Marrakech, Meknes, Nador, Ouarzazate, Oujda, Rabat-Sale*, Safi, Settat, Sidi Kacem, Tangier, Tan-Tan, Taounate, Taroudannt, Tata, Taza, Tetouan, Tinghir, Tiznit; three additional provinces of Ad Dakhla (Oued Eddahab), Boujdour, and Es Smara as well as parts of Tan-Tan and Laayoune fall within Moroccan-claimed Western Sahara.
This is a list of the largest me