The dynamics of state and civil society in Morocco

Abstract

Since King Hassan II started to soften Morocco's hard stance towards allegedly subversive organisations in the late 1980s, the formal sector of civil society in Morocco, in particular that of politically active non‐governmental organisations (NGOs), has seen a great increase in activities. Likewise, since the king's decision in 1998 to select a government consisting of former opposition parties (USFP and Istiqlal) under USFP leader Abderrahmane Youssouffi ('alternance’ in Moroccan political terminology), and especially since the accession to the throne of his son, Mohammed VI, in August 1999, NGOs have become even more active, enjoying a freedom of activity that Morocco had never before witnessed. This article seeks to illustrate the dynamics that have been created within this developing space, marked, as it is, by its relationship to both political parties and to the monarchical state (referred to as the Makhzen). By analysing these underlying dynamics, this article argues that the free engagement of civil society in political affairs is by no means guaranteed. Instead, civil society is confronted with both a changing state and a changing political party system, both of which have been redefining their position vis‐à‐vis each other and vis‐à‐vis civil society. These two entities, relying on a historical, cultural, and political consensus, continue to suppress and alter the free engagement of civil society if they consider their power bases as being threatened.