Morocco, currently a monarchy, has known some attempts to establishrepublican forms of government.
In the 17th century,Morisco refugees fromAndalusia formed theRepublic of Salé, a base for piracy.[1] In 1921,Berber rebels in theRif established the breakawayRepublic of the Rif underAbd el-Krim against Spanish colonial rule. The state lasted until 1925, when the rebels attempted to take the city ofFes, in a failed attempt to expand the republic into theFrench protectorate in Morocco.[2]
A failed attempt to establish a republic took place during acoup attempt in 1971 against KingHassan II.[3][4] It was ultimately put down by GeneralMohamed Oufkir. However, the following year Oufkir initiatedhis own coup d'état; theAir Force tried multiple times to bring down the king's airplane, attacked the Rabat airport and bombed the royal palace in Rabat. The coup ultimately failed.[5]
During the2011–2012 Moroccan protests, a minority of protesters from theAl Adl Wa Al Ihssane Islamist movement and leftist groups such asIla al-Amam chanted republican slogans.
Both inside and outside Morocco there are many active Moroccan anti-monarchy activists and dissidents in exile who openly criticise the monarchy or advocate for the creation of a "Republic of Morocco" and for the abolition of the Moroccan monarchy through a popular revolution.
The Moroccan authorities continue to crack down on any movement or persons who advocate republicanism or question the legitimacy of the monarchy.[6][7][8][9] As a result, many Moroccan republicans are active in the diaspora inEurope orNorth America, often in self-imposed exile.
Currently, theAl Adl Wa Al Ihssane Islamist movement and theDemocratic Way Marxist group are the largest republican movements in Morocco.
