Compliance of the Moroccan autonomy initiative in the Sahara with international laws and standards relating to autonomy

Morocco has presented to negotiations the Autonomy’s Initiative for the Sahara’s region. Stilling in negotiating, this project coincided with the new territorial organization of the Kingdom of Morocco which is decentralized and which shall be based on an advanced regionalization system. The Moroccan project of autonomy has been inspired from international experiences of autonomy especially concerning the fundamental pillars of autonomy and the prominent part of local institutions in Sahara region, as regional Government whose chief is proceeding from parliament and where all sahraouis tribes are elected in the legislative institution. Added to that, one of the other advanced points of the Moroccan Autonomy proposition, concerns the constitutional warranty to the autonomy of Sahara region in the context of the unity of Moroccan State. The aim of this article is to argue that the Moroccan Autonomy initiative is in accordance with international standards of autonomy.Published online: 25 November 2014