Moroccans in U.S. vote on constitutional monarchy

Clarification: An early version of this story suggested that the voters were Americans. They are Moroccans living in the United States.

Moroccans in the United States are voting this weekend on constitutional reform in Morocco, the first Arab nation to hold an election since the "Arab Spring" protest movement swept the region last winter.

Unlike the royal families of Jordan and Bharain, who speak vaguely of reform while their security forces shoot protesters in the streets, King Mohammed VI of Morocco has offered to share power with elected officials and constitutional amendments that promise equality to women, protections to religious and ethnic minorities and a stronger rule of law.

"This will help," says Faycal Aithaadi, a 31-year-old cook who stood Friday with his arm around a security guard at the Moroccan Embassy in Washington, D.C., after voting in favor of the new constitution. "The king, he gave up a lot of things for his people."

Aithaadi hopes other Arab monarchs will follow the Moroccan example, but others who voted Friday, such as real estate investor Jawad Zairi, 46, of Falls Church, Va., are not sure that's a good idea.

Giving more power to the people in Arab countries that have a history of ethnic and religious conflicts "could lead to trouble," Zairi says. "It they get too much power, they'll fight."

Polls are open through Sunday in the District of Columbia and seven other states.

The changes create a constitutional monarchy that requires the king to appoint a prime minister with executive power for most domestic matters from the party with the highest number of votes in the popular election. Previously, the king could appoint a head of state from any party of his choosing. The Moroccan king retains control over national security and religious affairs, and the power to dissolve parliament, in consultation with the head of state.

Morocco, North Africa's western-most nation, is a staunch U.S. ally that, like the rest of the Middle East, has been swept by pro-democracy demonstrations protesting a lack of freedoms, weak economy and political corruption.

Opponents of the constitution — youth leaders of the Feb. 20 protest movement and radical Islamist groups — called for a boycott of the vote, saying the reforms leave too much power in the hands of the king. Nonetheless, the constitution is expected to be overwhelmingly confirmed.

The Moroccan Interior Ministry reported that turnout was 70% of 13 million registered voters, the Associated Press reported.

Such a turnout is "a sign of victory for the new constitution and the King," Aithaadi said.

Morocco differs from other Arab monarchies in ways that bode well for political reform there but leave in doubt whether its approach can become a model for others, said David Ottaway, of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, who returned recently from a research trip to Morocco.

Morocco has had independent political parties, labor unions and non-governmental organizations since the former French colony gained independence in 1956. French is widely spoken there, in addition to Arabic. Large numbers of Moroccans travel back and forth to Europe for work and pleasure, and Moroccans are accustomed to mingling with European tourists plying their marketplaces and bazaars, Ottaway says.

"It's much more like Europe than the (other) monarchies of the Arab world," Ottaway says.

Other Arab monarchies don't allow political parties, labor unions or many NGOs, he says. "All the Gulf monarchies only have consultative assemblies, not parliaments with legislative authority."

Despite the differences, other Arab monarchies are paying attention to what's happening in Morocco, said John Bolton, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under President George W. Bush. It remains unclear whether the constitutional changes are "cosmetic or something more significant" until they are implemented, he said.

Members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes Kuwait, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia and sent forces to Bahrain to violently put down protests there last winter, have consulted publicly in recent months with the rulers of Morocco and Jordan to compare experiences and consider alternatives, Bolton said.

"I think they'll look at the Moroccan experience," he said. "They're looking at suggestions for how will that work in their situation."