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Balancing act: Islamism and the monarchy in Morocco

While violence is gripping Cairo, political instability simmers in Tunis and chaos still reigns in the streets of Tripoli, Rabat is often seen in the foreign media as a beacon of tranquility in an increasingly turbulent post-Arab Spring North Africa. There, King Mohammed VI seemed to have responded to the demands of many protesters by introducing a series of constitutional reforms reducing his prerogatives, and called for early elections which paved the way for the resounding victory of the Islamist Parti de la Justice et du Développement (PJD) that now leads the government. On the surface, the formula seems to have worked. According to a poll conducted in March 2013, 64% of the Moroccan electorate are satisfied or very satisfied by the new government’s handling of the political and socio-economic situation – down 22 points from November 2011 when it was elected but still a firm majority (L’Economiste 2013). This led some foreign analysts to hail Morocco enthusiastically as a ‘model’ of reform and progress in the region (Morocco World News 2013). But how much has really changed in Rabat since the advent of the Arab Spring? Is the PJD really in charge of policy or does the King remain Morocco’s most powerful political actor? And what does the rise of the anti-monarchy Justice et Charité (JC) Islamist movement, which, although not a formal political party, is perhaps the most powerful and coherent opposition to Royal policies in the country, tell us about the medium and long-term stability of the Moroccan Kingdom?