The new Moroccan constitution, passed with a 98 percent affirmative vote and 72 percent participation on July 1, includes a provision on access to information.
New legislative elections are to be held in three or four months and transparency activists hope to see an access law on the books by the end of 2012.
“We expect the new government to release a draft law on access to information in 5 to 6 months to be put to the Parliament for debate and vote,” Said Essoulami, the director of the Center for Media Freedom in the Middle East and North Africa (CMF MENA) told FreedomInfo.org.
Article 27 in the draft of the constitution (unofficial translation) states:
Citizens have the right to access information held by public authorities, elected institutions and bodies invested with a public service. The right to information can be restricted by law, in order to protect national defense, internal and external security of the state, the privacy of individuals, the prevention of infringements on the rights and freedoms enshrined in this Constitution and to protect sources and areas specifically determined by law.
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