Sahara: here is what the Moroccan autonomy proposal contains

This is a dense, technical and strategic document that is now circulating in the restricted diplomatic circles between Rabat, Madrid and Washington. Developed in the strictest confidentiality by a trio of royal advisors - Taïb Fassi Fihri, Omar Azziman and Fouad Ali El Himma - in coordination with the head of diplomacy Nasser Bourita, this 40-page text marks a decisive turning point. It is no longer a matter of selling a political concept, but of delivering the legal operating instructions for the future Autonomous Region of the Sahara, with a view to hoped-for international approval next spring in Washington.

An "organic statute" inspired by the Spanish model

Far from a simple declaration of intent, the text resembles an organic statute comparable to those of the Spanish autonomous communities or Greenland. It makes a surgical distinction between powers. The central state (Morocco) retains the inalienable sovereign attributes: defense, currency, diplomacy, symbols of sovereignty (flag, anthem) and supreme judicial power.

The Region is granted broad management autonomy: urban planning, fishing, industrial development, Hassani education and culture. The text introduces a unicameral regional parliament with hybrid legitimacy, combining elected representatives by universal suffrage and tribal representatives, with the power to pass "regional organic laws".

The sticking point: the designation of the executive

While the overall architecture seems to have consensus within the tripartite technical commission (Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania), a major stumbling block remains: the head of the regional executive. The Moroccan text provides for the local government leader to be formally appointed by the King, a mechanism of "dual legitimacy" aimed at guaranteeing institutional loyalty to the unitary state.

This provision meets with opposition from the Polisario, which demands a direct election by universal suffrage to confer autonomous popular legitimacy on the executive. Rabat categorically refuses, seeing the risk of the creation of a competing political power that could drift towards secessionist tendencies.

The economic lock: the "double key" for investments

On the economic level, Morocco has reinforced the system. The statute provides for a separate tax system and local management of natural resources, but establishes a strict control mechanism for foreign investments. Any strategic project will require double validation: that of the Region and that of the central state.

This "double key" clause has caused ripples during the negotiations, particularly with the Algerian side, which wanted direct economic access to the territory. For Morocco, this is a red line: economic sovereignty and strategic security cannot be diluted.

Towards a "French-style" constitutionalization

To enshrine this statute in stone, the Palace’s lawyers have drawn inspiration from the French method used for New Caledonia (the Nouméa Accord). The plan provides for a constitutional revision incorporating a specific title dedicated to the Autonomous Region, with a clause of inviolability and territorial irrevocability, effectively excluding any future independence option.

Validated by a national referendum, this statute aims to definitively close the file. If the schedule is maintained, this document will serve as the basis for the final agreements expected in April or May in Washington, consecrating the victory of the doctrine of autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty.