Morocco
Morocco, 1956 to today. Draft, not yet reviewed
In March 1956 Morocco regained its independence from France as the Kingdom of Morocco. Morocco is a unitary semi-constitutional monarchy with an elected parliament. Upon the death of Mohammed V, Hassan II became King of Morocco on 3 March 1961. In July 2011, the King won a landslide victory in a referendum on a reformed constitution he had proposed to placate the Arab Spring protests.
Seat of power: Rabat
Rulers
Mbarek Bekkay
Prime Minister of Morocco, 1955–1958
He was the first Prime Minister of Morocco since its independence from the French and Spanish Protectorates.
Mohammed V of Morocco
King of Morocco, 1957–1961
He reigned as sultan until 1957, and afterwards as the first king of Morocco. In 1956, he successfully negotiated with France and Spain for Moroccan independence, and in the following year he assumed the title of king.
Portrait of Mohammed V of Morocco: Fotograaf Onbekend / Anefo, CC0, file
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Hassan II
King of Morocco, 1961–1999
In 1962, he promulgated Morocco's first constitution, which formally established a constitutional monarchy and a multi-party political system while reserving extensive executive powers for the king. Domestically, his rule combined state-building and economic development with strict political control, and was characterized by an authoritarian system, particularly during the Years of Lead.
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Mohammed VI of Morocco
King of Morocco, 1999 to today
Upon ascending to the throne following Hassan's death, Mohammed initially introduced several reforms and changed the family code to grant more rights to women in Morocco. His other reforms have included modernising the economy and military force of Morocco, promoting non-sectarian Islam and Berber culture, including designating Standard Moroccan Amazigh as an official national language alongside Standard Arabic and Yennayer (the Amazigh New Year) as a national holiday, and curtailing the influence of religious extremism.
Portrait of Mohammed VI of Morocco: Pool Moncloa/Borja Puig de la Bellacasa, Attribution, file
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Culture
- Islam is both the official and predominant religion, with nearly all of the population identifying as Muslims.
- Arabic and Berber are the official languages, though the Moroccan dialect of Arabic (known locally as Darija) is widely spoken and considered the lingua franca.
- Since independence, painting and sculpture, music, amateur theatre and filmmaking have developed.
Picture
The Hassan II Mosque is a mosque in Casablanca, Morocco.
Image: Petar Milošević, CC-BY-SA-4.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.