King Mohammed voices resolve to set democratic process on the right track

Morocc's King Mohammed VI voiced in Rabat Friday resolve to set the democratic process on the right path, insisting that it is an irreversible choice, whatever the challenges ahead, locally or at international level.

The sovereign said in his speech at the opening Friday of the parliament fall session that democracy "implies a keen sense of commitment to the notion of citizenship," underlining that "there can be no democracy where there are no democrats." It is "a long, arduous exercise, not some sort of battlefield on which to wage a war for positions," he stressed.

On the local polls held in Morocco last September 12, the monarch underlined that the consolidation of democracy is "a task incumbent upon political parties and civil society," adding that election is not a goal in its own right. "I urge local community councils to take the electoral competition for what it is, i.e. a passing event, and to launch major development projects, which are vital for social development, and to face the challenges, undeterred by the difficulties," said the king.

The goal, he went on, is to draw up local development plans and initiate implementation of priority projects, namely for adequate housing, high-yielding investment, productive employment, useful education and decent living conditions for all."