Rapporteur visits Morocco to assess the Moroccan Parliament’s partnership with PACE | WPN World People News

Bogdan Klich (Poland, EPP/CD), who is preparing a report to evaluate the Moroccan Parliament’s “Partnership for democracy” with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), will make a fact-finding visit to Morocco from 6 to 10 July.

The Moroccan Parliament was the first to be granted partner status with PACE in June 2011, enabling a twelve-member delegation of Moroccan parliamentarians to take part in the work of the Strasbourg-based Assembly – joining parliamentarians from the 47 nations of the Council of Europe – though without the right to vote.

In return, the parliament has pledged to work towards Council of Europe values, such as holding free and fair elections and abolishing the death penalty.

In Rabat, Mr Klich is due to meet the Speakers of the Moroccan House of Representatives and House of Counsellors as well as the heads of parliamentary groups and a number of ministers, including the Foreign Affairs, Justice and Interior Ministers. He will also visit Marrakech, Fez and Tanger.

PACE’s first assessment, in June 2013, expressed satisfaction with progress, declaring that Morocco had taken “an important step on the path to democratic reform” with its new constitution but also called for further reforms, including steps to abolish the death penalty in law and suspend executions.

Source: Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe