Morocco

Morocco's long struggle for independence from France ended in 1956. The internationalized city of Tangier was turned over to the new country that same year. Morocco virtually annexed Western Sahara during the late 1970s, but final resolution on the status of the territory remains unresolved. Gradual political reforms in the 1990s resulted in the establishment of a bicameral legislature in 1997.

• land degradation/desertification (soil erosion resulting from farming of marginal areas, overgrazing, destruction of vegetation);
• water supplies contaminated by raw sewage;
• siltation of reservoirs;
• oil pollution of coastal waters

• 37 provinces and 2 wilayas*;
• Agadir, Al Hoceima, Azilal, Beni Mellal, Ben Slimane, Boulemane, Casablanca*, Chaouen, El Jadida, El Kelaa des Srarhna, Er Rachidia, Essaouira, Fes, Figuig, Guelmim, Ifrane, Kenitra, Khemisset, Khenifra, Khouribga, Laayoune, Larache, Marrakech, Meknes, Nador, Ouarzazate, Oujda, Rabat-Sale*, Safi, Settat, Sidi Kacem, Tanger, Tan-Tan, Taounate, Taroudannt, Tata, Taza, Tetouan, Tiznit note: 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;
• decentralization/regionalization law passed by the legislature in March 1997 creating many new provinces/regions;
• specific details and scope of the reorganization not yet available

chief of state:

• King MOHAMED VI (since 23 July 1999) head of government: Prime Minister Abderrahmane YOUSSOUFI (since 14 March 1998) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch elections: none;
• the monarch is hereditary;
• prime minister appointed by the monarch following legislative elections

• bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or Chamber of Counselors (270 seats; members elected indirectly by local councils, professional organizations, and labor syndicates for nine-year terms; one-third of the members are renewed every three years) and a lower house or Chamber of Representatives (325 seats; members elected by popular vote for five-year terms) elections: Chamber of Counselors - last held 15 September 2000 (next to be held NA 2002);
• Chamber of Representatives - last held 14 November 1997 (next to be held NA November 2002) election results: Chamber of Counselors - percent of vote by party - NA%;
• seats by party - NA;
• Chamber of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%;
• seats by party - USFP 57, UC 50, RNI 46, MP 40, MDS 32, IP 32, MNP 19, PND 10, MPCD 9, PPS 9, FFD 9, PSD 5, OADP 4, PA 2, PDI 1 note: CDT, UTM, UGTM, UNMT are all labor unions listed under Political pressure groups and leaders;
• see explanation in the description of Parliament

• Action Party or PA [Muhammad IDRISS];
• Constitutional Union or UC [leader NA];
• Democratic Forces Front or FFD [Thami KHIARI];
• Democratic Socialist Party or PSD [Issa OUARDIGHI];
• Democratic Party for Independence or PDI [Thami EL-OUAZZANI, Said BOUACHRINE];
• Istiqlal Party or IP [Abbas El-FASSI];
• Labor Party or UT [leader NA];
• National Democratic Party or PND [Mohamed Arsalane EL-JADIDI];
• National Popular Movement or MNP [Mahjoubi AHERDANE];
• National Rally of Independents or RNI [Ahmed OSMAN];
• Organization of Democratic and Popular Action or OADP [Mohamed BEN SAID ait Idder];
• Party of Progress and Socialism or PPS [Moulay Ismail ALAOUI];
• Popular Constitutional and Democratic Movement or MPCD (has become Party of Justice and Development or PJD) [Dr. Abdelkarim KHATIB];
• Popular Movement or MP [Mohamed LAENSER];
• Social Democratic Movement or MDS [Mahmoud ARCHANE];
• Socialist Union of Popular Forces or USFP [Abd ar-Rahman EL-YOUSSOUFI]

• Association of Popular Trade Unions or ADP [leader NA];
• Democratic Confederation of Labor or CDT [Noubir AMAOUI];
• Democratic National Trade Union or USND [leader NA];
• Democratic Trade Union or SD [leader NA];
• General Union of Moroccan Workers or UGTM [Abderrazzak AFILAL];
• Labor Union Commissions or CS [leader NA];
• Moroccan National Workers Union or UNMT [leader NA];
• Moroccan Union of Workers or UTM [Mahjoub BENSEDIQ];
• Party of Shura and Istiqla [Abdelwaheb MAASH]

general assessment:

• modern system with all important capabilities;
• however density is low with only 4.6 main lines available for each 100 persons domestic: good system composed of open-wire lines, cables, and microwave radio relay links;
• Internet available but expensive;
• principal switching centers are Casablanca and Rabat;
• national network nearly 100% digital using fiber-optic links;
• improved rural service employs microwave radio relay international: 7 submarine cables;
• satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat;
• microwave radio relay to Gibraltar, Spain, and Western Sahara;
• coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Algeria;
• participant in Medarabtel;
• fiber-optic cable link from Agadir to Algeria and Tunisia (1998)

• crude oil 362 km;
• petroleum products 491 km (abandoned);
• natural gas 241 km

• claims and administers Western Sahara, but sovereignty is unresolved and the UN is attempting to hold a referendum on the issue;
• the UN-administered cease-fire has been in effect since September 1991;
• Spain controls five places of sovereignty (plazas de soberania) on and off the coast of Morocco - the coastal enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla which Morocco contests, as well as the islands of Penon de Alhucemas, Penon de Velez de la Gomera, and Islas Chafarinas

• illicit producer of hashish;
• trafficking on the increase for both domestic and international drug markets;
• shipments of hashish mostly directed to Western Europe;
• transit point for cocaine from South America destined for Western Europe