Morocco will probably not be spared from the unrest spreading in Arab countries, King Mohammed VI's cousin Moulay Hicham said in an interview published Monday.
Morocco has remained calm so far, with practically no signs that it could experience popular uprisings similar to those in Tunisia or Egypt.
'Morocco has not yet been reached, but make no mistake: Nearly all the authoritarian systems will be affected by the protest wave,' Moulay Hicham told Spanish daily El Pais in an interview from Paris.
The Moroccan king's cousin has been dubbed 'The Red Prince' because of his leftist political positions.
'Morocco will probably not be an exception,' Moulay Hicham said. 'It remains to be seen whether the protests will only be social' or whether they will be taken up by political parties, he added.
Despite there being differences between Tunisia and Morocco 'the abyss between the social classes undermines the legitimacy of the political and economic system' in Morocco as well, the prince said.
Most Moroccan social forces supported the monarchy, but were unhappy with 'the strong concentration of power in the government's hands,' Moulay Hicham explained.
'The large extent of monarchic power since independence is incompatible with the new fundamental dimension that vindicates (the rights of) the citizen,' he said.
Morocco 'is not Tunisia,' but some of the factors that led to the Tunisian protests are present 'in an almost identical way' in Morocco as well, Moroccan author Abdellatif Laabi wrote in El Pais.
Mohammed VI was meanwhile due to have returned from a 48-hour visit to France.
Officially, he was on a private visit, but unconfirmed reports said he discussed the situation in Tunisia and Egypt with the French authorities.
> monstersandcritics.com
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Morocco will not be spared from unrest, royal family member says
3:04 PM
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