Situation Report: Implications of the 2007 Elections on Moroccan Political Development, Jack Kalpakian

Morocco is a constitutional monarchy with a strong executive. The King, whose office is constitutionally hereditary by male primogeniture, acts as the Chief Executive. The King appoints the Prime Minister who appoints members of the cabinet in consultation with the King, but the cabinet must enjoy the support of the majority in parliament`s lower house - the chamber of deputies. Four members of the cabinet, the ministers of the treasury, religious affairs, foreign policy, and interior, answer directly to the King. In these four areas, as well as in national defence, the King has broader powers than parliament. Parliamentary powers include the right to question ministers, approve or negate the national budget, ratify or reject treaties, and make law. One of the main sources of the King`s political legitimacy, with Morocco being a Muslim nation is his title Amir al Moumineen (the Commander of the Faithful) - a title normally used by Muslim leaders in Islamic states and empires of the past. Article 19 of the Moroccan constitution makes the person of the King sacred.