Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or Chamber of Counselors (270 seats; members elected indirectly by local councils, professional organizations, and labor syndicates for nine-year terms; one-third of the members are renewed every three years) and a lower house or Chamber of Representatives (325 seats; members elected by popular vote for five-year terms) elections: Chamber of Counselors - last held 5 December 1997 (next to be held NA December 2000); Chamber of Representatives - last held 14 November 1997 (next to be held NA November 2002) election results: Chamber of Counselors - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RNI 42, MDS 33, UC 28, MP 27, PND 21, IP 21, USFP 16, MNP 15, UT 13, FFD 12, CDT 11, UTM 8, PPS 7, PSD 4, PDI 4, UGTM 3, UNMT 2, other 3; Chamber of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - USFP 57, UC 50, RNI 46, MP 40, MDS 32, IP 32, MNP 19, PND 10, MPCD 9, PPS 9, FFD 9, PSD 5, OADP 4, PA 2, PDI 1 note: CDT, UTM, UGTM, UNMT are all labor unions listed under Political pressure groups and leaders; see explanation in the description of Parliament
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges are appointed on the recommendation of the Supreme Council of the Judiciary, presided over by the monarch
Political parties and leaders: Action Party or PA ;
Constitutional Union or UC ; Democratic Forces
Front or FFD ; Democratic Socialist Party or PSD [Issa
al-OUARDIGHI]; Democratic Party for Independence or PDI [Thami
el-OUAZZANI, Said BOUACHRINE]; Istiqlal Party or IP ;
Labor Party or UT ; National Democratic Party or PND
; National Popular Movement or MNP
; National Rally of Independents or RNI [Ahmed
OSMAN]; Organization of Democratic and Popular Action or OADP [Mohamed
BENSAID]; Party of Progress and Socialism or PPS [Moulay Ismail al
ALAOUI]; Popular Constitutional and Democratic Movement or MPCD [Dr.
Abdelkarim al-KHATIB]; Popular Movement or MP ;
Social Democratic Movement or MDS ; Socialist Union
of Popular Forces or USFP
Political pressure groups and leaders: Association of Popular Trade
Unions or ADP ; Democratic Confederation of Labor or CDT
; Democratic National Trade Union or USND ;
Democratic Trade Union or SD ; General Union of Moroccan
Workers or UGTM ; Labor Union Commissions or CS
; Moroccan National Workers Union or UNMT ;
Moroccan Union of Workers or UTM ; Party of Shura
and Istiqla ;
International organization participation: ABEDA, ACCT (associate),
AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU, CCC, EBRD, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending
member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM,
OAS (observer), OAU, OIC, OPCW, OSCE (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant) chancery: 1601 21st Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: (202) 462-7979 through 7982 FAX: (202) 265-0161 consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Edward M. GABRIEL embassy: 2 Avenue de Marrakech, Rabat mailing address: PSC 74, Box 3, APO AE 09718 telephone: (7) 76 22 65 FAX: (7) 76 56 61 consulate(s) general: Casablanca
Flag description: red with a green pentacle (five-pointed, linear star) known as Solomon's seal in the center of the flag; green is the traditional color of Islam
@Morocco:Economy
Economy - overview: Morocco faces the problems typical of developing countries - restraining government spending, reducing constraints on private activity and foreign trade, and achieving sustainable economic growth. Since the early 1980s the government has pursued an economic program toward these objectives with the support of the IMF, the World Bank, and the Paris Club of creditors. The dirham is now fully convertible for current account transactions; reforms of the financial sector have been implemented; and state enterprises are being privatized. Drought conditions depressed activity in the key agricultural sector, and contributed to an economic slowdown in 1999. Favorable rainfalls have led Morocco to predict a growth of 6% for 2000. Formidable long-term challenges include: servicing the external debt; preparing the economy for freer trade with the EU; and improving education and attracting foreign investment to improve living standards and job prospects for Morocco's youthful population.