HISTORY
At the end of 1955, and after the return from exile of Sultan Mohammed V, November 16, and the victory of nationalists, Morocco adopted in a first step, a non-elected parliament, resulting from consultations with the main political parties to lay the foundations for future elections. The first chamber was chaired by Mehdi Ben Barka. The first Moroccan Constitution adopted in 1963 created a bicameral parliament consisting of the House of Representatives and House of Councillors.
Read:POLITICAL HISTORY OF MOROCCO
The 1970 Constitution abandon bicameralism and opts for a single room. The 1992 Constitution allows elected to create committees of inquiries.
Under the state of emergency, the Head of State (in this case the King of Morocco) may dissolve Parliament, “the state of exception does not cause the dissolution of parliament). During the years of lead – under the reign of Hassan II – the right was quite improperly invoked, since the first and only state of emergency that gripped the Morocco lasted five years, from June 1965 to July 1970. However, constitutions adopted after that date contained many restrictions of public freedoms, close to the state of emergency. Until 1977, no elected parliament has completed its term.
HOUSE OF COUNCILORS
The House of Senate which is known as the House of councilors (upper house) of the Parliament of Morocco has 120 members, elected for a six-year term. 72 members are elected at the Kingdom’s regional level, who represent the subnational administrative areas, 20 members are elected in each region by a single electoral college made up of all those in the relevant region that have been elected to the following professional associations: the agriculture associations, the commerce, industry and services associations, the arts and crafts associations and the marine fisheries associations; 8 members are elected in each region by an electoral college made up of those elected from the most representative employers’ professional organizations; 20 members elected nationally by an electoral college made up of employees
The 2011 Constitution of Morocco retained this second chamber, but reduced its term of office from 9 to 6 years and its size to 120 seats.