“Ministries discuss their plans directly with the king without letting parliament know,” said former agriculture and education minister Ismail Alaoui, leader of the Party of Progress and Socialism, which belongs to the ruling coalition.
The power structure centered on the palace is known as the Makhzen, a kind of network of people and lobbies focused on preserving their vested interests rather than on general development.
King Hassan “makhzenized” the political parties with a combination of repression, rewards and divisive tactics, analysts say, domesticating them into what Jamai describes as “empty shells.”
The parties’ lack of credibility has boosted the role of the civil society, favoring the emergence of tens of thousands of human rights, feminist, educational and other associations. Their committees stage demonstrations against high prices, low-quality schools or hospitals and other problems, sometimes obtaining concessions from local authorities.
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