Morocco: Civil Society as a Catalyst for Change?

An interesting article in The Daily Star assesses the role that civil society has played in reforming Moroccan politics since the 1990′s. According to Moha Ennaji, once “the electoral law was revised so all members of the country’s Parliament were elected by popular vote,” then under this democratic atmosphere, “a multitude of civil society organizations and associations emerged on the national scene, improving human rights, women’s rights, economic development, education and health.”

Ennaji describes two main types of civil society organizations in Morocco: One filling the gap where the government has failed to provide, and the other being human rights groups who have strengthened the democratic nature of the country. “Civil society organizations have become real schools of democracy by training youth to be more engaged in community work and collective action in pursuit of the common good,” she says adding that the current challenge that civil society in Morocco is facing the need to become innovative and form a “genuine partnership with the state” while while still working independently to fulfill the needs of the people.