Unresolved conflict in the Western Sahara
In the early parliamentary elections on November 25, 2011, the moderate Islamist PJD became the strongest political force. The party was able to win 107 of 395 seats. The PJD politician A. Benkirane took over the office of head of government at the head of a coalition cabinet made up of the PJD, PI, PPS and MP, which was sworn in on January 3, 2012. In mid-March 2012, the United Nations brokered negotiations between Morocco and the liberation movement Frente Polisario on the future of Western Sahara, which, however, again remained unsuccessful.
On July 9, 2013, the PI, which emerged from the parliamentary elections in November 2011 as the second strongest force, left the government coalition. The reasons for the rift were planned austerity measures that were not justifiable for the PI. After months of government crisis, King Mohammed VI. finally on 10/10/2013 the cabinet. The RNI entered the government for the PI. After long opposition from conservative forces, Parliament voted in January 2014 to abolish Section 475 of the Criminal Code, which gave rape rapists of minors impunity if they marry their victim after the crime. In June 2014, the king signed a decree banning religious leaders from commenting on political issues. In March 2015 he ordered a reform of the very restrictive abortion law. On September 4, 2015, nationwide regional and local elections were held, in which the PJD headed by Prime Minister A. Benkirane asserted. In the parliamentary elections on October 7, 2016, the PJD expanded its leading position in the Chamber of Representatives by winning 125 seats. The royalist party PAM took second place with 102 seats (2011: 47 seats). A. Benkirane was tasked with forming a new government. Despite the still unresolved Western Sahara conflict, Morocco became a member of the African Union in January 2017. After Prime Minister A. Benkirane failed to put together a new coalition, King Mohammed VI withdrew from him . on March 16, 2017 the contract to form a government. The PJD politician Saad Eddine El Othmani (* 1956) was newly charged with forming a government . The multi-party cabinet he formed was sworn in on April 5, 2017 and received parliamentary confidence on April 14, 2017.
World Heritage Sites in Morocco
- Medina of Fes (1981)
- Medina of Marrakech (1985)
- Fortified town Aït -Benhaddou (1987)
- Medina of Meknes (1996)
- Archaeological site of the Roman ruined city of Volubilis (1997)
- Medina of Tetouan (1997)
- Essaouira Medina (2001)
- Old town (»Portuguese city«) of Jadida (formerly Mazagan) (2004)
- Capital Rabat (2012)
Essaouira Medina (World Heritage)
Essaouira is completely surrounded by a rampart built by the French in the 18th century in the style of European military architecture. The city advanced to become an important trading center in the 19th century, connecting Morocco with Europe. Visit clothingexpress.org for Morocco the atlas mountains and the Sahara.
Essaouira medina: facts
| Official title: | Essaouira Medina (formerly Mogador) |
| Cultural monument: | Fully preserved medina (old town quarter) of the fortified port city from the 18th century (laid out in the style of European military architecture); completely surrounded by a strongly fortified protective wall; important international trading center and connection to Europe in the 19th century |
| Continent: | Africa |
| Country: | Morocco |
| Location: | Essaouira (formerly Mogador) |
| Appointment: | 2001 |
| Meaning: | Exceptionally well-preserved example of a fortified port city from the late 18th century. |
El Jadida (Mazagan) (World Heritage)
El Jadida (Mazagan) became a Portuguese colony in the 16th century and was surrounded by an extensive system of fortifications. Recaptured by the Moroccans in 1769, it is today a testament to European-Moroccan culture.
El Jadida (Mazagan): facts
| Official title: | The Portuguese city of El Jadida (Mazagan) |
| Cultural monument: | Portuguese colony in the early 16th century; surrounded by extensive walls; Conquered by Moroccans in 1769; including fortifications, cistern, Church of the Assumption and numerous Portuguese buildings |
| Continent: | Africa |
| Country: | Morocco |
| Location: | El Jadida, 90 km southwest of Casablanca |
| Appointment: | 2004 |
| Meaning: | Fortification as an early testimony to military renaissance architecture; Buildings as a document of the mutual influence of European and Moroccan culture |
Rabat (world heritage)
The world heritage includes the old town and the new town with their juxtaposition of colonial and modern buildings, both of which are enclosed by the Almohad wall.
Rabat: facts
| Official title: | Rabat – modern capital with a historical core |
| Cultural monument: | Capital of Morocco with a modern new town from the time of the French protectorate (1912-1930) and parts of the old town from the 12th century as a World Heritage Site; colonial new town with hotels, banks, public buildings in Art Deco style, Rabat Ville train station, unfinished Hasan mosque (begun around 1191) with the minaret of the “Hasan Tower”, mausoleum of Mohammed V (completed in 1971), cathedral Saint- Pierre (early 20th century), Great Mosque Djamaa es-Souna (18th century), complex of the Royal Palace (first palace in 1780, second palace built in 1864, now a modern palace with mosque); Old town with city wall from the 12th century, Great Mosque from the 14th century, Kasbah des Oudaïas, Jama al Atiq, oldest mosque in the city (12th century), traditional business district of the Suk |
| Continent: | Africa |
| Country: | Morocco |
| Location: | Rabat, northwest Morocco |
| Appointment: | 2012 |
| Meaning: | Outstanding example of the synthesis of Arab history and Western modernity; impressive testimony to modern urban planning of the 20th century with adaptation of traditional values and architecture; Development of a specific national city character |
