Morocco

Morocco is located in northeast Africa, with Rabat as the capital and  Rabat and Casablanca as the largest city. The first Moroccan state was founded by by Idris I in 788 AD and has since been ruled by independent dynasties. In 1912 the country was divided into four protectorates, and regained independence in 1956. Morocco has a constitutional monarchy with an elected parliament. The  King of Morocco has legislative and executive powers.

Islam is the country’s primary religion and primary languages are Arabic and Berber. Morocco belongs to the African Union, Union for the Mediterranean, and Arab League. Morocco also belongs to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), United Nations, the  Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN_SAD), and the Non-Aligned Movement.

The Moroccan Constitution provides the country with a monarchy with an independent judiciary.  Executive power is exercised by the government, and legislative by the government and parliament.

Since the 2011 amendments to the Constitution, the King of Morocco doesn’t possess as many executive powers as before.

The legislative body is comprised of two chambers: the Majlis al-Mustacharin, which consults on the budget and can amend the constitution among other powers.  The lower chamber is the Majli al-Nuwab, which can dissolve the government with a vote of no confidence.

Morocco has a dual legal system which is made up of the secular courts which are based on French systems, and the courts which are based on Islamic and Jewish traditions.

Secular courts consist of communal and district courts, courts of first instance. Appellate and the Supreme Courts sit above these courts. The Supreme court is further broken down into five chambers. These are the criminal, social, civil, administrative, and constitutional. There’s a military court for cases which involves military personnel as well. Arabic is the official language of the courts. Under Muslim and Jewish personal law, there are 27 sadad courts, which are equivalent to courts of first instance. If cases exceed a certain monetary value, they are heard at a regional court level. Muslim courts are broken down into  Shari'ah, commercial, civil, Rabbinical, and administrative sections.

Visitors of the National Law Review can read the latest news, stories, and updates from the country of Morocco. Human rights, international affairs, immigration, and other news stories are covered regularly online.

 

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