Stronger democracy goes through strong political parties, King Mohammed
Morocco, Politics, 7/31/2003

Morocco's King Mohammed VI on Wednesday stressed that "efforts to build a stronger democracy will still be inadequate unless there are strong political parties."

This came in a speech delivered by the king on the occasion of the Throne Day, marking this year the fourth anniversary of the enthronement of King Mohammed VI.

The king, who noted that he looks forward "to the rehabilitation of politics, in its noble meaning," urged for legislation on political parties to be passed promptly.

"I want to make it clear that I am determined to provide those parties with efficient means to enable them to discharge their mission fully," he said.

Morocco has a multi-party system and bi-cameral parliament, comprising a House of Representatives and a chamber of advisors.

King Mohammed VI underlined that "the proposed legislation should seek to enhance the role of parties in guiding and representing citizens, by banning the setting up of parties or groups along religious, ethnic, linguistic or regionalist lines."

"The parties should be provided, in all transparency, with government financing to enable them to carry out their activities and get a deep insight into the real issues of concern to the citizens," he said, specifying that "the aim is to help them come up with realistic programmes and concrete solutions to their problems, and also to rally support for all issues of local or national interest and to work closely and harmoniously with NGOs from the civil society."

The king added that the forthcoming polls in Morocco, especially local elections (due next September 12), "will be a real opportunity for our political parties to fulfil their national obligations, by contributing to the establishment of institutions which can give shape to the aspects of development and modernity in the type of society we seek to build." "This is indeed what the Moroccan people wants," he stressed. "It is no longer prepared to accept that certain parties indulge in the use of pompous, meaningless slogans. Nor will it let such obsolete mottos jeopardize efforts to tackle the real challenges of the present and the future," he said.

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