Of the anti-government groups most are united under the name "Freedom and Democracy Now" The group has quickly gained tens of thousands of supporters. Most call for a radical constitutional reform in the kingdom and the introduction of real democracy.
Unlike Mubarak in Egypt the king Mohammed VI seems to be popular on the whole. Many of the anti-government groups call for a constitutional monarchy based on the Spanish or British model. This would obviously reduce the monarch to a mainly ceremonial role.
As in Egypt however most call for the current government to be gone and a caretaker government to take over to prepare for a new constitution and free and fair elections.
Morocco has some of the trappings of democracy but there are no true opposition parties. Parliament and the government are dominated by the socio ecoonomic elite with close ties to the monarch. Opposition groups such as the Islamists and Republicans are not allowed to participate in elections.
Even so the parliament has little power as the King appoints the government! Any reform projects must be approved by the king. Somewhat surprisingly it seems to me most do not blame the king himself so much as others to whom he has given power.
There have been protests earlier in Morocco but usally on a relatively small scale. Recently unemployed graduates have protested in Rabat. The Moroccan government claims it is not worried by calls for protests. A government spokesperson said of Morocco that :"for a longer time has been engaged in an irreversible process towards democracy and widening public liberties." However, behind the scenes there are signs the King is meeting with advisers on how to contain the unrest that is spreading throughout many Arab countries.
The Freedom and Democracy Now movement is still in its infancy and confined to the virtual world. Even if the protests are large the Moroccan government is at this stage indicating that it is ready for dialogue. However, the situation willl become clearer when Feb. 20th arrives.
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