Morocco

This section contains a brief description of the legal system of Morocco.

Morocco became independent from France on 2 March 1956. Sultan Mohammed V became monarch of the constitutional monarchy in 1957. Political reforms in the 1990s resulted in the establishment of a bicameral legislature, which first met in 1997, but ultimate authority remained in the hands of the monarch until protests in February 2011 lead to Mohamed VI agreeing to establish a commission to reform the country's constitution.

A referendum was held in July 2011 which approved the new constitution. The amended constitution gives parliament a greater role in the legislative process and strengthens the role of the prime minister, who now must be appointed by the monarch from the party which wins the most seats in the assembly. Elections were held on 25 November 2011.

Morocco has a mixed legal system of civil law based on French law and Islamic law.

Morocco has a constitution dating from 1972 most recently amended in 2011.